GATE: Worlds At War
by TheDrkKnight12
Summary: After the Third World War, everyone thought that they could breath easy now. But when a mysterious gate suddenly appeared in Time Square, hundred of innocents died in the attack. In retaliation and wanting revenge, the US sends an invasion force of their most elite units into the Gate. Their mission: Find those responsible and bring them back. Dead or Alive. CHAPTER 2 UP!
1. Chapter 1 (REVISED!)

**_Disclaimer: I do not own GATE: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri_** ** _and_** ** _Call of Duty._**

 ** _AN: This is a major revision of some story elements to better suit the plot. I won't be changing the core of the story, just adding and changing some small and critical details to make this story more engaging._**

 ** _Special thanks to the beta readers that helped me. Generalfeldmarschall and Freedom Honor. If there are any more readers out there to help me improve this story, I'll appreciate it._**

 ** _UPDATED: 08/11/2016_**

 ** _Chapter_** ** _I - Unprovoked_**

New York City. One of, if not, the largest cities in the United States of America. Believe it or not, most consider this city as the first great American city since the US's birth as a nation.

Before, it was but a small settlement of colonist from Europe. Now, it was literally a floating city - a modern day Atlantis, if you were to compare.

This city was one of the economic hubs of the United States. This was the place where people do business, to make money, or just visit the famous sights of the city like the Empire State Building, take a stroll around Central Park, or take pictures down in Time Square at night and watch the lights come alive.

All around, people were going about their own business - going to their jobs, or just plain exploring. But it wasn't always like this.

Not since the American-Russo War. This war marked the first time an invading foreign army set foot on the American homeland.

It all started on the early days of the Second Russian Civil War and the Middle Eastern Conflict of the early 2010's. Russian Ultranationalists were fighting against the Government Loyalist for control of Russia and an Arab dictator by the name of Khaled Al-Asad overthrew and executed President Yasir Al-Fulani of Saudi Arabia.

Naturally, the United States and United Kingdom could not stand by and watch as the possibility of over fifteen thousand nuclear weapons being turned against them.

Feeling that action must be taken, the US sends a large task force of several divisions of the US Marine Corps. to the Saudi Arabian Peninsula to remove Al-Asad from power. While the UK's elite 22 SAS Regiment would covertly gather intel deep within war-torn Russia.

Though US forces proved much more than a match for Al-Asad's armed forces, tragedy struck when a nuclear weapon was detonated in the heart of the city. Over thirty thousand US personnel were killed in action.

Fearing another incident like this would occur, the US and UK decided that this would be a joint effort between their remaining forces. And the first priority was to neutralize the nuke launch sites as the Ultranationalists had taken control of it.

Leading this operation was Cpt. John Price, a hardened SAS operative. Coordinating with the Americans, they were successful in halting the launch of any more nukes and detonated the ones that had been launched.

Still, even with this success, the Ultranationalists eventually won the civil war and left the US weakened. But maintained its presence in the Middle East to quell further OpFor actions.

Years passed and relations between Russia and the Western Powers deteriorate because of the actions of Vladimir Makarov, known terrorist and Ultranationalist Leader.

Makarov led an attack on Zakhaev International Airport, killing hundreds of innocent civilians and reactionary police officers in the process. But the killing blow was when he killed a member of his team that was secretly an American CIA agent.

When the Russians had figured it out, the Russian head of state, President Boris Vorshevsky was under immense pressure from the people to retaliate. Even though he preferred a more diplomatic solution, the pressure of his enraged country was too much for him to hold back.

And so, the Russo-American War began.

Unknown to the Americans and President Vorshevsky, an ACS module of a downed US defense grid satellite was copied and the Russians were able to give the illusion that a massive attack was happening in the West Coast, while in actuality, the attack would happen in the East.

Essentially, the US early warning system, NORAD, was compromised and it left the US wide open for attack.

The initial waves were devastating. With the Russians having the immediate advantage and the US Military having been weakened over the years, city after city, site after site fell.

Until the Battle of Washington DC. US forces have suffered massive casualties at this point in the war. Outgunned and outnumbered, US forces in DC held the Russians off valiantly but it was only a matter of time before they were overwhelmed and destroyed.

When it looked like DC would fall to the Russians, a nuclear weapon had somehow detonated in the atmosphere overhead, the EMP shorting put all electronics and plunging the entire East Coast in darkness.

In an attempt to stop the Russians, top brass saw no other choice but to authorize Hammer Down - complete bombardment of the US capital. But knowing that there were still some surviving friendly forces in the city, bombers broadcasted a counter sign to abort the bombing run.

If there were still friendlies operating in the area, they would have to deploy green flares on the roof of a high value structure. Accomplish this and the bombing run would be aborted. Failure was the destruction of Washington DC.

Fortunately, that did not come to pass as the remaining US forces were able to fight through heavy Russian resistance.

The Battle of DC was won, but it was not the end of the war. Though, it was a turning point in the war.

To the north, the battle of New York City was raging. After the decisive victory at Washington DC, American forces began gaining momentum and began to push back and reclaim much of the Eastern Seaboard.

But due to an electronic jammer, US communications and guidance systems were rendered useless. Without these systems, US aircrafts were flying blind and were extremely vulnerable to anti air.

In an attempt to neutralize the threat, US command tasked an elite team of Delta Operators call sign Metal to go in and destroy the jammer on top of the Stock Exchange.

The four-man team fought their way to the streets and were successful in destroying the jammer.

With the jammer no longer wreaking havoc on their systems, US command quickly organized a series coordinated air strikes on key Russians sites and before long, American forces were able to push the front lines all the to the river.

But this was not the end as the Russians could still launch a counter offensive with their navy and with most of its fleet in the New York harbor either destroyed or damaged, the Americans could not attack them head on.

Alternately, Team Metal would link up with a SEAL Team to board and commandeer a Russian Oscar-II submarine, they would force the sub to surface with mines and use its own weapons to destroy the Russian invasion fleet.

It was a bold and ambitious gamble but it worked. And this was enough to drive the battered and defeated Russians out of American territory. A victory, but a costly one.

The Americans had also lost much, thousands of warriors and citizens lay dead at their soil and the East Coast was in ruins.

The Russo-American War ended on August 18, 2016. But this would not be the end as a much larger conflict was brewing.

After the Russian military invasion attempt of the United States fails, Makarov plans a massive terrorist/military blitzkrieg attack on the cities and capitals of Europe with the goal of Russia being the supreme ruler of the continent.

To achieve this goal, Makarov secretly produced large arsenals of deadly chemical weapons, aided by African Militia in Somalia and Sierra Leone, to be used as a first strike weapon on many key military and government installations throughout all of Europe.

Makarov also persuaded large numbers of top Russian Generals and politicians to take part in his massive military offensive and a coup d'état to overthrow the Russian President.

Using the Russian peoples' belief that war against the U.S. is still justified, and viewing Vorshevsky's peace agreement as an act against the Russian people, a large majority of the Russian military side with Makarov.

Growing weary of the continued conflict, President Vorshevsky called for a cease fire and invited the United States to discuss peace.

While en route to Hamburg, the plane carrying the Russian President and his daughter were hijacked by men under orders from Makarov. Though able to evade capture for a time, President Vorshevsky was eventually captured by Makarov himself.

With the coup d'état successful, Russian Commanders build up a large invasion force to take Europe.

On October 6, 2016, a phone conversation intercepted by French Intelligence is reported to MI6 regarding a shipment of mysterious cargo entering London.

They immediately alert their interior security force MI5 to investigate. The head of MI5 tasks SAS to find out what the then unknown hostiles are up to.

SAS soldiers pursued the fleeing Ultranationalist terrorists through the London Underground, emerging outside Parliament and stopping one suspected truck. However, the other remaining trucks explode, blanketing the city with a deadly chemical agent.

But London was not the only one to be attacked. All over Europe, every capital of every nation was attacked with the chemical weapon, simultaneously attacking many military bases and intelligence headquarters such as GIGN Headquarters in France, Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany, and every military headquarters for each of the nations forces; causing catastrophic loss of human life.

With the European Nations in chaos and utterly defenseless, the entire Russian military swiftly begins to invade Europe, taking almost two thirds of the European continent, and attacking the isolated and crippled European military force.

Realizing the attacks were deliberate to clear the way for the Russian Blitzkrieg, the United States quickly began to mobilize every combat able asset they had to once again fight on the European continent.

Once again, for the third time in human history, war had engulfed the world.

On October 14, 2016, much of Europe had been liberated from the Russians, but a new problem came when Team Metal failed to rescue Alena Vorshevsky, the daughter of President Vorshevsky.

Knowing that threatening the girl would lead the Russian to give up the nuclear launch codes, US forces linked up with the recommissioned Task Force 141. This joint operation was led by both Capt. John Price and Sandman to save the Russian President and his daughter for the peace talks to commence.

Though they were successful, almost all members of Team Metal perished.

Upon the return of President Vorshevsky to Moscow, he quickly announced a ceasefire and invited NATO delegates to peace talks.

On January 21, 2017, Vladimir Makarov was killed by a vengeful Capt. Price. Symbolically ending the Third World War.

* * *

Ten years had passed since the end of World War 3 and the world was not the same as it was before. While it was true, there was peace, but the tension was still evident.

Though President Vorshevsky had purged the Ultranationalist extremist in his government, that did not excuse what his country did to all of Europe. Contaminating the continent with deadly chemicals, millions dead, and the destruction of countless historic and very important landmarks to name just a few.

It wasn't just the humans that suffered, but the environment as well. Most of Europe and its cities were turned into contaminated wastelands that would take decades or even centuries to clean up. And that's excluding all of the destroyed buildings.

This was, by far, the most destructive war ever fought. And suffice to say, Russia had paid _dearly_.

But in those ten years, the United States had become even stronger. The last war had been a sobering and haunting reality, a foreign army managed to penetrate their defenses and inflict devastating damage.

After the war, the US had stepped up its technological development in the different fields of science, making new discoveries and developing new technologies.

US armed forces also grew from 1.6 million to 2.2 million and were upgraded with the latest hardware straight out of DARPA. As well as the commissioning of next-gen warships and the reactivation of the US 2nd Fleet. Together with the 3rd Fleet, their main purpose was to defend the mainland in the event NORAD was once again compromised.

This improved and further solidified its standing as the most powerful military force on Earth.

Still, the damage done to the US homeland has yet to be resolved. Much of the cities in the East Coasts were in ruins after the Russians had withdrawn and there was still much rebuilding to do.

It would take decades to fix everything, even with the new advancements of technology.

In a subway station near the famous Time Square, was 1st Lieutenant Derek 'Frost' Westbrook, US Army Special Forces, Delta Force operator, and former member of Team Metal.

He was a veteran of many operations in his career as a soldier, and had fought in two very deadly wars. It still amazed him that he had lived after all of that.

Frost was the youngest member of Team Metal, only twenty-five years old when the Russo-America War broke out. He had fought in Washington DC, New York, Europe, and even Russia.

Yes, he fought in that fucking mine together with his team.

 _ ***Flashback***_

"Price, you have to get out of here! Get the president out of here!" Sadman shouted over to Price as they returned fire to hostile Russians.

"Not gonna happen, mate! We're in this together!" Price disagreed. There was no way he was going to let these yanks die here in a blaze of fucking glory!

Sandman threw a grenade to a cluster of Russians and blew most of them apart. Frost and Grinch mopped up the rest while Truck was pulling an injured Yuri towards exfil chopper.

"No time, Price! Get the president out now!" Sandman reloaded his M4 and turned to Frost. "Frost, with them! Give them cover while we hold the line!"

"But, sir-" Frost wanted to argue at that, but Grinch cut him off.

"Just do it, kid! We need to get that Rusky the hell outta here!" Grinch leveled his irons on a charging Russian and double tapped him in the chest, dropping him, making the man smirk.

"You better be right behind me, Sandman!" Price roared out and went over to Yuri whom Truck passed on to him to join the rest of his team. "Frost, give us covering fire!"

"Rog'!" Frost kept firing, seldom does he miss a bullet. Time seemed to slow down for him as adrenaline was surging through his veins. Sandman, Grinch, and Truck were holding back the Russians, but they were without cover.

They were all exposed and one stray bullet was enough to take them out. But still, they fought.

Frost saw Sandman take a hit to his arm but refrained himself. They'd get out of this alive. Every fucking one of them!

"Sandman, we're all aboard! C'mon, let's go before this whole bloody mine buries us!" Price called over to them as Frost kept laying down cover fire.

Getting on board of the chopper, Frost radioed his team. "Sandman, c'mon, we don't have much time!" Frost didn't want to die down here, but he didn't want to leave his team behind No one gets left behind, that was their way!

"Price, get the hell out of here! Get out of here now!"

"Sandman, you bloody bastard! Get you and your boys' sorry asses in this chopper now!" Price shot a few more Russians.

Frost went to speak. "Sandman, we're secure here! Let's go, get in that damn bird! We won't last long here!"

"Frost, you get your ass out of here, soldier! That's a fucking order!" Sandman ordered loudly as an RPG glanced a blow to the chopper. Not enough to bring it down, but enough to not hold this position any longer.

"Fuck! I'm hit!" The pilot said, trying to regain control of his bird. "I can't hold this position! We have to leave now!" He started to pull up!

Price came up to the cockpit. "Don't you dare pull this bloody bird up! We still have men down there!"

"What the hell are you guys doing?! This is no time to play the fucking heroes!" Frost kept shooting but it was getting too much and he was running low on ammo.

"You just get yourself out of here, son! We can handle things from here on out!" Truck said over the comms, throwing his knife right between a Russian's eyes.

Frost wanted to do something. He could not just leave his brothers-in-arms here to die in this damn mine! This was not how it was supposed to go down! "Fuck!"

Grinch let out a dry chuckle. "Don't sweat it, kid. We'll save you a seat in Hell's bar."

"Frost, you know this is how it's going to be. Not everyone can be saved, son. Now go, get your sorry asses out of here!"

The young delta wanted to argue but he knew his commanding officer was right. Deep down, he knew that this was a possibility. A possibility that was always present whenever they were deployed.

The chance that one of them or all of them would die.

Gritting his teeth, Frost cursed. "You fucking shit heads." He snarled before sighing. "It's been a damn honor."

"The honor is ours."

With that, the helo began its ascend out of the exploding mines with Price trying to raise Metal.

"Sandman?! Sandman, do you copy?! Sandman, this is Price, do you read me?!" When he got nothing but static, the aged warrior growled and threw his comms to the floor in anger.

Frost, meanwhile, was quiet. The stress of this war finally becoming apparent in his covered features.

 _ ***Present***_

That was ten years ago and the Delta Veteran could still remember it like yesterday. That day, he didn't just lost comrades, he lost friends, he lost brothers.

It still haunts him…how his team died while he survived… Sometimes Frost wished he had died in that mine with them. They call it survivor's guilt…every soldier that survived an ambush alone has it.

But add that to the horrors he'd seen in the wars he fought…Frost was lucky his mind had not broken under the pressure. He was Delta, trained to withstand great pain…but everyone had limits.

Looking over to his right, he could see people wandering the streets, acting like nothing ever happened. Guess that's how the civvies cope after New York City was a smoldering pile of rubble just over a decade.

The scars of the war remain present to this day…especially on Wall Street. All Frost could see was rubble everywhere, cruise missiles slamming into the buildings, Russians at every corner…these people don't know what kind of hell their soldiers face after a war.

They don't know what it feels like to slit a man's throat. They don't know what it feels like to see one of your guys get blown to pieces. They don't know what it feels like to have nightmares every fucking time you go to sleep.

That's why soldiers who saw too much were never really cut out to be civilians anymore. War was far too ingrained in them and were like caged animals sometimes.

So why was he here? Frost was on leave…or rather, forced leave. Ever since that day, Frost had dedicated himself to the Army because it was all he had left. The only family he had left was his sister, but he doesn't speak to her anymore.

Last time he checked, she was somewhere in Italy. She was United Nations, but that was three years ago.

Frost let out a silent sigh. He didn't need a fucking leave. He was functioning properly and was ready and able for anything. But orders were orders and he was ordered to take it easy for the next few weeks.

Easier said than done in his honest opinion. But unknown to him, today was going to change the world

A little girl was walking with her parents, not a care in the world until something caught her eye. To her left, at the center of Time Square, was something really strange.

She looked dumbfounded until she felt her parents tug. Having lost interest, she went along.

Time Square was at a standstill. People and cars stopped in their tracks because at the center was some sort of building or something that had suddenly appeared out of thin air

"What the hell?"

"Where did this come from?"

"How the fuck did it get here?"

These were but a few questions asked by the people there. This building looked old and looked like something from ancient Rome judging from its design. And the middle of it was all black. Like it was hollow, maybe some kind of opening to the inside of it.

Before anyone could ask anymore, something came out of the structure. Was that a flying dragon?!

The people were left in a state of shock, unable to believe what just happened that they didn't notice that other creatures were coming through as well.

Frost, having got out of the subways, was now outside of the 7th Avenue station and just kept a calm pace until he heard sirens blaring and people screaming. Furrowing his brow, he raced to the streets and saw people frantically running for their lives. He expected this to be a terror attack but nothing could have prepared him for this.

An assortment of grotesque monsters and strange looking humans with shields, swords were all lined up just outside the structure. The monsters were snarling and bashing the ground with their clubs and blades. The humans who looked like soldiers were lined up with their shields covering their front like the Phalanx formation of the ancient Spartans. Some were on horseback and riding the dragons. They were waving flags with a strange symbol on it.

The civilians took wary steps back in slight fear of what this was. "What the fuck…"

Then someone blew a horn and the monsters roared, baring their weapons. Some of the soldiers launched arrows into the air and killed some of the fleeing civilians.

And then, there was a massacre.

Frost came running opposite to the fleeing crowd into Time Square. What the hell was going on here?! He was confused, who the hell were these guys? How did such an enemy force get into US soil?

But these were questions for later. Right now, he had to assist in the defense of the city.

He turned a corner and saw a woman kneeling and covering her ears, she was clearly terrified and that fear paralyzed her. As a soldier of this country, he was obligated to protect all civilians at all costs.

"Ma'am, c'mon! You can't sat here!" Frost exclaimed, extending his hand for her to take.

The woman looked up and flinched. "W-who are you?!"

"US Army Special Forces, now get up and run!"

The woman immediately took his hand and got up and fleeing the scene. Frost cursed before looking to his right to see a lone police officer defending two scared girls from one of those dragon things.

The officer was clearly scared as well as he tried to hit the dragon with his standard issue MP-443 Granch but the bullets just bounced off that damn thing's hide! Eventually, he got lucky and shot the bastard flying it.

The enemy pilot fell down on the concrete and stopped moving. The officer and the girls breathed a sigh of relief until the enemy sprung up and sprinted towards them, a small sword in hand.

Having expended his clip, the officer could only stand as the bastard came nearer and nearer. Frost growled and sprinted towards the attacker and tackled him to the ground. The Delta operator had extensively trained in hand to hand combat and was able to overpower his opponent.

Without any hint of hesitation, Frost snapped this bastards neck and he fell limp.

The cop and girls had a look of shock etched on their faces and looked at the one who saved them.

"W-What the hell are those things?" The officer stuttered and the soldier could see that this was a rookie with how young he was. He couldn't blame the kid for how he reacted.

"Settle down, son. My name is Derek Westbrook, I'm a Lieutenant of the United States Army." What he said made the officer and girls' eye go wide in surprise. "I'll need you to take them to safety and call for reinforcements." Frost commanded as he picked up a sidearm, a few magazines, and comms from the fallen police and the other cop saluted.

"Yes, sir!" He then led the girls to safety as Frost stayed behind.

Frost then took cover behind some building to provide cover fire to the fleeing civilians from those dragons as he himself retreated to safety. As he did so, he dialed a number to the phone and it rang.

"This is an emergency military channel, please end this-"

"First Lieutenant Derek Westbrook, United States Amy, Delta Force Operator, serial number 77-662-134! Patch me to the fleet commander now!" Frost fired another shot to some pig thing right between the eyes and it fell dead on the street.

 _ ***USS Resurgence - US 2nd Fleet Command Vessel***_

The USS Resurgence was the command vessel of the US 2nd Fleet. It the first ship of a newly designed amphibious battle carrier armed with the latest advancements in weaponry, surveillance, ect.

These carriers could hold and deploy a small army into the hear of battle. Carrying over two thousand marines, a squadron of the new FM-13 Phoenixes, six of the new XH-6 Warbirds, and at least four AXH-5 Infernos.

The fleet was comprised of thirty warships with ten of them being Resurgence-class carriers. They were reorganized and recommissioned six years ago as the US felt that in the event that a hostile entity managed to break through its early warning systems, the defense fleets would be the first line of defense. Giving valuable time for ground assets to prepare.

Today was just a routine patrol out of the coast of Manhattan and Capt. James L. Mitchell, an old and grizzled man, was up on the bridge, watching the waves roll by. Make no mistake, he had fought in the bloody war ten years ago and he had the scars to prove it.

But he thought that it might do him some good to catch that salty see air.

"Sir." One of his subordinates came up to him and saluted to which he returned.

"What is it, son?" Capt. Mitchell asked, a little annoyed that someone interrupted his quiet time for the moment. But he narrowed his eyes when he saw out of breath the kid was.

"A priority call from the main land. A Lieutenant Derek Westbrook, US Army Special Forces, has asked for immediate troop deployment within the city. He says it's under attack from an enemy force!"

Mitchell's eyes widened in shock. "What?!" He turned to the main land and saw that there were dozens of smoke stacks coming from the Big Apple. It made his blood run cold. "Patch me through to him!" He ran to the bridge and opened up a link to the delta operator. "Lt. Westbrook, this is Capt. Mitchell of the USS Resurgence. What the hell is going on there?" Everyone on the bridge stopped what they were doing and watched their captain.

"Sir, you need to send in reinforcements now! A large enemy force has appeared out of fucking nowhere in the middle of Time Square! Sending you a feed now!"

The screen faded black before the connection was reestablished showing the head cam. People were running and screaming right past as Frost led a few officers in holding off the enemy.

"Go! Go! Keep moving!" He roared as he and his rag tag team held off the hostile. But a few civilians didn't make it as they were brutally cut down.

"Shit! Left side, look out!" Just like that, the feed was lost and everyone on the bridge stood in shock. Their home was once again being attacked.

"Sound the general alert! I want troops on the ground and birds in the air A-fucking-SAP!" Capt. Mitchell commanded as an ensign hit the general alert and horns began blaring all over the ship.

"All ships on this net, this is Capt. Mitchell! Red alert, I say again, red alert. This is not a drill! An enemy force has infiltrated our defenses and are attacking Manhattan! I want all available units in New York now!"

With his order given, Capt. Mitchell began to hastily mobilize every marine, bird, and vehicle he had to defend New York.

And soon, his words reached the rest of the fleet and began mobilizing their forces as well.

 _ ***Fifteen Minutes Later***_

The USS Resurgence was abuzz with activity. They had heard the general alert and sprung into action, but it wasn't until they heard that Manhattan was being attacked that they tripled their efforts.

The memory of the war was still fresh in their minds and did not want it to happen again. That's why the whole fleet had come to this operations and were steaming towards the Manhattan coast.

On the flight deck, a full platoon of US Marines began boarding on the Warbirds. They were going in first and secure the civilians trapped in the South until reinforcements came in.

The plan was to deploy troops in the South to help the defending officers push the enemy back while another landing in the North would push South towards Time Square. All the while, aircraft would strafe enemy positions.

"Warbirds, you have a go. Take off now." The control tower gave the permission and almost immediately, the birds began racing towards the burning city. The Marines were all itching to fight.

Overhead, a flight of FM-13 Phoenixes and four AHX-5 Infernos roared through the skies to provide CAS.

The air party now entered the Manhattan air space and from below, they could see a horrible sight. Men, women, and children not just dead, but mutilated. They were torn apart and it appalled the US forces.

The streets were littered with burning debris, blood, and the body parts of their citizens

"My God."

 _ ***Washington DC***_

 **SLAM!**

"What the hell do you mean New York is under attack?!" The president glared at his general in disbelief. Just minutes before, he was enjoying lunch with his family until one of his agents whispered something into his ear that made him bolt to his office where the general was.

Standing in front of him was one of the highest ranking one of the most experienced generals the US Military had, Lt. Gen. Hannibal Morrison. "It is as I said, sir. An unknown enemy force is attacking Manhattan. How they got through our defenses, I don't know. But we need to act now." There was urgency in his tone.

The president wholeheartedly agrees. "Do we have any boots in New York?"

"Yes, sir." Morrison opened up an image of Frost in full battle gear. " We have an off-duty Delta Operator on site and is coordinating the defenses as we speak. He had managed to make contact with 2nd Fleet and are now steaming towards Manhattan and mobilizing their marines."

The President growled in anger. Ten years...that's how much time has passed since fucking world war 3. The US, hell, the entire world was still rebuilding and then this happens?!

"General, I don't care how you do it. But neutralize the threat by any means you see fit. And then find out everything you can about them. Whoever they are, they _will_ pay for this."

With his orders received, Gen. Morrison nodded. "Yes, Mr. President."

 _ ***Manhattan Battlefield***_

"There's too many of 'em!" A SWAT officer hollered over as they tried to hold the defensive line. A very hard thing to do when hundred of enemies were coming towards you!

"Just shut the hell up and keep shooting!" Yelled in response before pulling a pin off a nine banger. "Nine banger out!" He tossed the grenade to the enemy as he and his men took cover.

Nine bangs were heard and the men came out of their cover and picked off the disorientated enemy but there were still too many of them and kept coming.

Frost had quickly organized the remaining police officers to form a defensive line, providing cover for the fleeing civilians. But they were running out of ammunition and sooner or later, they were going to be overrun.

And that's what stumped the Delta Operator. He had expected this to be some kind of terrorist attack or armed insurgents wreaking havoc. But these guys...these guys looked like something from a fairy tail book.

Some he recognized as a kid like ogres, and orcs. But there were also humans among them that eerily looked like the Ancient Romans.

But those questions can be answered by those that actually give a fuck. For now, he had to hold out before help from the defense fleet comes.

"I'm running low on ammo here!" Another SWAT called over.

"Me too! I'm down to my last rounds! Why are there so fucking many of them, goddammit!"

Frost too was down to his last mag and cursed. But before he could order a tactical retreat, the familiar sound of rotors could be heard.

"All friendly units on this net, this is Hurricane 3-1. Keep you heads down, boys, we're coming in hot!" Not a second later, two Warbirds roared overhead as its machine guns began their short and bloody work.

Red hot bullets rain down upon the enemy formation and began shredding them all to pieces. They foolishly tried to raise up to flimsy shields of theirs, but those bullets could penetrate three inches of concrete.

Not long after, the skies were swarming with American air power as the two warbirds touched down and delivered their payload of Marines before taking to the sky and begin their strafing runs on confirmed enemy positions.

"Who's your CO here, officers?" The Marine unit leader asked.

"I am." Frost stepped forward. "First Lieutenant Derek Westbrook, US Special Forces."

"Fucking good work out here, sir." The Marine leader gave the Delta am appreciative nod. He did good. "I'm Staff Sergeant Lowe, is there anything we need to know about the enemy."

"The enemy seems to be primarily ground based with little to no air. They used overwhelming numbers to overrun our positions. I organized what I could but we could only slow them down."

Lowe nodded. "Armaments?"

"Mostly swords, spears, and shields. I don't know what the fuck's going on here Staff Sergeant, but you and your boys can see for yourselves" He pointed to the smoking remains of the enemy formation and the Marines could see that it was true.

These idiots were armed with only swords, spears, and shields. But...that was fucking suicide! Who in their right mind would bring a knife to a literal gunfight?

Lowe shook his head, they could discuss this later in a damn report. "Do you know where they came from?"

"I do, sir." An officer came up to the soldier and marines. "Not long before the attack began, we got reports of a strange structure appearing out of nowhere in the middle of Time Square. That could be how they got in."

"Then we call in birds to pound their fucking asses." One Marine called over, surveying the damage. And it made him extremely angry when he saw a small boy missing the top half of his head.

Lowe agreed and radioed their air assets. "Stinger 1 to Hurricane, how copy?"

"Hurricane, read you loud and clear, send traffic."'

"Be advised, enemy positions are concentrated on Time Square. Need you and your birds to hammer it."

"Stinger, you're asking us to attack Time Square. Now, are you sure that intel is accurate?" Hurricane wanted to he fucking sure because they were going to destroy a major American site and a symbol of their culture.

Lowe sighed. "Intel is confirmed. You will see a strange structure in the middle of the Square. That is all the proof you'll need."

"...And if they're any civilians there?"

He knew he heard it...they all heard it. Looking around them, they could only see the mutilated and mangled corpses of their citizens...and they could see a few women being naked sprawled all over the streets.

"...Hurricane, if there are any survivors in their hands...be sure to make it quick. Stinger out." Lowe let go of his comms and threw it to the ground. "Goddammit, what the hell were they after anyway? To kill all these people?"

Frost grabbed Lowe by the helmet and shook him lightly. "Hey, focus, Marine. We have a job to do. Now, do we have armor coming in?" It rattled him to see his people in this state but they had to stop the enemy first.

Then comes the payback part.

Lowe finally got a hold of himself. "APCs and Marine reinforcements are landing in the harbor as we speak. Two companies each would land on the South and North of their positions supported by our armor while our birds rain down heavy on their positions."

"All right, good." The delta nodded to the plan. "Let's fucking get these bastards."

"OORAH!"

* * *

Frost didn't know how long they've been fighting but they were making extreme progress. With an entire Marine battalion, armor and birds, they had more than muscle to push back against the enemy.

Block by block, street by street, enemy formations were swiftly and mercilessly cut down but US ordnance. Due in no small part to the rage at what these fuckers had done to their people.

Every street they came across was littered with atrocities. Mangled bodies littered the streets, and their blood stained the pavement.

And dozens of women, you and old, were naked with their throats slit. It didn't take a genius to know that they were repeatedly raped before their throats were cut.

The enemy tried to escape back through their accursed passage way, but Warbirds would not let them escape their wrath and anyone who tried were swiftly cut down.

With no choice left, the enemy commander surrendered to US forces. But instead of the proper treatment a man like him should be privileged to, he was knocked down with a hard rifle butt to his face and was made to kneel along with the rest of them.

"Command, this is Hurricane...area secured, enemy forces defeated. Get these people some help. Please."

 _ **AN:**_

 _ **This should help some of the questions that I left unanswered. And just on the technicality, I'm changing the equipment from MW to early Advanced Warfare and Black Ops 2 equipment. And I'm planning to change some very key components.**_

 _ **I realized that I've followed the canon events a little too much and I want to build my own version.**_

 _ **I can't guarantee this but expect some graphic stuff in future revisions.  
**_

 _ **PS: I got a taste at playing MW remastered. My childhood...it's still alive.**_


	2. Chapter 2 (NEW!)

_**Disclaimer: I do not own GATE: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri and Call of Duty.**_

 _ **UPDATED: 11/11/2016**_

 _ **Chapter II – The Cry For Justice  
**_

 _ ***One Week Later - US Congress***_

The United States, the entire world, was in a state of shock. They were still trying to piece together just what the hell happened in New York, but one thing was clear. They were attacked and hundreds of civilians, men, women and even children, were brutally and savagely killed.

What happened to the survivors were atrocious. Many women and young girls were viciously raped and almost all of them were scarred for life.

The families of the fallen grieved and demanded answers from their leaders. And today, they would get their answer.

All around the US Congress, people were abuzz with activity. Hundreds of reporters, national and international, were all covering this for all the world to witness as the politicians were talking amongst themselves while they waited for the President to make his long awaited statement.

Said President was in his private office, reading his speech over again before sighing and tossing the papers on his desk. This past week were just horrible. President Andrew R. Horton read the casualty reports and it made his blood boil.

Well over one thousand civilians were dead, sliced to pieces, and the lucky few that did survive this terrible event were deeply scarred and needed a lot of help. Help that their government would gladly give.

It appalled him. Such barbarism, such atrocities committed on American soil, against innocent American civilians.

When the engagement was swiftly put to an end, he had Time Square locked down tight and the prisoners were handed off to the CIA. The CIA were infamous in getting people to talk, and the President wanted to know why they attacked his country and gave the CIA the authority to do what is necessary.

It didn't take long for them to break under the pressure and give them the answer. And boy, did it piss off President Horton, the Joint Chief of Staff, and his cabinet.

It would seem that these... _men_ were part of an empire. And they attacked their country just because they can. They attacked sovereign US soil, slaughtered and violated innocent American civilians...for no solid reason other than they can...

That was the biggest load of BULLSHIT any of them has ever heard!

These bastards thought that they conquer just attack the United States, bow to their barbaric rule, and expect that they could get away with it?!

No. For those that fell in that attack, they deserve justice. And by God's grace, they WILL get justice.

That structure in the middle of Time Square was mostly intact and the entire island was surrounded by the 2nd Fleet and Time Square was under complete and total lockdown. Those stationed there had their orders. Nothing and no one comes out of that passageway.

And if there are, they were given full authorization to use deadly force. An order their soldiers would gladly follow to the letter.

There was a knock on the door and the President was broken from his train of thoughts. Sitting up straight and clearing his throat, he gave a reply. "Yes?"

The door opened to reveal one of his aides. "Three minutes before you're on, Mr. President. I suggest you get ready."

"Thank you." President Horton smiled at his aide before he closed the door and waited outside for the President to come out.

 _'It's time.'_ President Horton said to himself and mentally prepared himself for his speech. He knew the score, and failure was not on his agenda today.

Coming out of the door, President Horton met up with his aide and security detail as they made their way towards Congress. "How are things looking out their." He asked.

"The people want answers, sir." The aide sighed. "Especially the families of those that fell. I can't blame them for wanting that."

Horton couldn't help but nod solemnly. If the roles were reversed, he would want to know just what the hell had happened when he heard one of his kids were killed in peace time.

"And they will have it."

* * *

"My fellow Americans, I come before you all today to inform of a terrible tragedy that has befell our great nation." President Horton said with regret as everyone listened to his words.

"Over ten years ago, the world was once again engulfed in a terrible war. But we emerged stronger than ever and lived in relative peace." He continued with pride before gaining a solemn expression. "But our precious peace was shattered."

He could hear murmuring among the crowds but President Horton continued. "Barely a week ago, after we have already endured the flames of war on our shores, we were once again attacked by an enemy that came out of nowhere. It is my greatest regret that over one thousand men, women and children perished." He bowed his head in respect for the dead, an act followed by most everyone.

"To the families of the fallen, I extend my deepest condolences and my sincerest apology. But this is where pleasantries end." And just like that, the sorrow filled eyes were replaced with fire.

"Only yesterday, I have received a report from the FBI and the CIA regarding these assailants and why did they attacked us. Their reason was that they can. They attacked us because they can." He almost growled put and already, outraged comments were being made.

"I, myself, was outraged at this and rest assured, they will be tried for their heinous crimes." He would see to that. "These _men_ had violated numerous international and national laws on immovable grounds, and if and when found guilty, they would face the death penalty." He may not be a judge or a lawyer, but Horton knew this deserved death.

All over the country, varying degrees of agreement were being made as the people wanted justice for the fallen.

"This blatant and unprovoked attack on our country will not go unanswered." President Horton looked at everyone in the eyes to prove his point. "The barbaric and savage treatment of our people will not go unpunished!" He slammed his fist into his stand to prove his point and shouts of agreement echoed all over Congress.

"This enemy has declared war on us the moment they spilled American blood on American soil." He continued as everyone quieted down. "The fallen deserve justice and by God's grace, they WILL get justice!"

The crowd outside Congress roared in approval as is the rest of the country. All of them were crying for justice and revenge at what happened in Manhattan.

"It is why, I stand before you and Congress to ask that we declare a state of war and bring those responsible here to face the consequences of their actions." Everyone stood up and clapped at his words, but he wasn't done yet.

"To the loved ones of the fallen, I make this lasting promise. Justice will be delivered and it will be swift. We will avenge them and their soul can be laid to rest."

The crowd's applause were defeaning as President Horton finished his speech as he walked out of the podium.

Let it be known that on this day, two worlds are at war. And only one would rise as the victor.

 _ **AN: I know this is a short chapter, but needed to be done. I left this out in the last version, but I want to give this story more detail and take a more realistic view on the invasion in general. I'll be honest, I was beating around the bush back then. Technically speaking, military operations cost a lot of money and it was far better to eliminate the threat first before restoring order.**_

 _ **Thanks to the beta readers that helped. Just a Crazy-Man, Forgotten Honor, Tommy298, and Generalfeldmarschall**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**GATE: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri and Call of Duty crossover.**_

 _ **AN:**_

"Oscar Mike" - English

 _'Oscar Mike' - Thoughts_

 _"Oscar Mike" - Whatever language these people speak_

 _ **Chapter III – Hunters**_ _ **, Killers**_

Lt. Frost landed at the bottom of the well and immediately checked the female survivor's vital signs. Her pulse was there but it was weak. She needs medical attention at once.

Making sure that she was secured, Frost signaled for his team to raise them up.

"Slowly. Slowly, Kowalski." Davis guided the Humvee driver.

A gloved hand grasped the well wall and out came Frost's balaclava covered face. "I need a medic!" He called as his team helped him and the injured woman out of there.

"Ackerman, Kyle, she has a weak pulse and suffering from hypothermia. I want her alive." The two nodded and carefully carried the girl to one of the Strykers to treat her.

Frost gave an exhausted sigh as Kowalski just looked at the Stryker that housed the injured woman. "Was that an elf?"

Sgt. Ackerman, being the medic, checked her patient for every possible sign of outward injury. She had a lot of cuts and bruises, and maybe some broken bones judging from the fall she must've taken.

Her pulse was weak but holding, but her core temperature was falling fast. "She's freezing. Kyle, cut off her clothes." Ackerman ordered as she readied her tools.

Kyle nodded and took out a pair of medical shears. "Sorry about this."

While the two women treated the injured girl, RT 1 was already on the move of out the immediate area as that Fire Dragon could come back any time.

Frost found it strange that Pvt. Kowalski kept quiet about this. Didn't he wanted to see an elf or something? "Private, is there a problem? I thought you wanted to see some anime girls?"

Kowalski chuckled and nodded to his commanding officer. "Well, yes, sir. But I can't celebrate about that. I mean, she just lost her whole village, or maybe some family. I think that's not a very good reason to celebrate in just finding an elf. Sir."

Nodding his head, Frost smirked under his mask in approval. Good, because Frost had no use for soldiers with no empathy for noncombatants.

"Lt. Frost, this is Sgt. Ackerman, come in."

Frost turned on the radio. "What is it? Is the girl okay?"

"Hard to say. She's suffered some broken bones, fractured three ribs, and a concussion. She's got hypothermia but we managed to keep her warm and her core temperature is rising. But she needs proper medical attention."

Frost understood the situation at hand. They got an injured girl and the medics treated her as best they can, but she needed proper treatment so this comes with three options for the Delta operator.

One, they could just leave her, and that was certainly off the table. Two, he could just take her to Arnus Hill but they didn't have clearance to bring in refugees in. So, the third one was to go back to Coda Village and let them take care of her was the best choice to make.

"Keep her stable, Sergeant. We're going back to Coda and drop her off there. Hopefully, the people there can treat her better than we can."

"Roger that, sir." Ackerman cut the comms and returned to tend to the elf girl.

"Kowalski, head to Coda Village. I've got to report that dragon to command." Frost said as he tuned the radio to Arnus Base channels.

"Hold on, boys we're heading back to Coda."

"Overlord, this is Recon Team 1. How copy, over." Frost waited for a couple of seconds but he got no response. "Overlord, this is RT 1, please respond, over."

"Recon Team 1, this is Overlord." He could hear command but it was fuzzy. "Sitrep."

"Recon Team 1 has made peaceful first contact with locals in the region and gathered what intel the inhabitants could give. We have also saw a dragon ten maybe fifteen times the size of the ones we fought. Recommend that you mobilize heavy AA emplacements and scan the skies for any signs of it."

"Overlord copies all. Good work. Readying our heavy AA guns and missile launchers now. Thanks for the heads up."

"Any time, Overlord. Recon Team 1 out." Frost sighed as he tuned the radio back to mission channels. "Well, at least they'll be ready."

"I almost feel sorry for that dragon." Davis chuckled through the comms and Kowalski replied.

"Almost."

A few hours later.

"Sir, I've visual on Coda. We have a situation." Their gunner, Cpl. Tucker, reported.

"All units, halt. Let's see what's going on." The convoy obeyed Frost's orders and stopped just outside Coda Village and Frost stepped out to survey this situation with his binoculars.

Coda Village seemed normal. Several horses standing by the entrance. No sign of the civilian. But he did spot a number of armed men ransacking the small village. These men looked the same as those that attacked Time Square and Frost narrowed his eyes.

These bastards think they can do whatever they want and not get punished. We'll see about that.

"LT, what's going on?"

"RT 1, move to that hill to our west. We'll get a proper look from there." Frost moved back into his Humvee and the convoy rolled to the designated hill. Once they reached it, Frost, together with Kowalski, Williams, Kyle, and Davis. went prone and peered over the village.

"Coda village seems to be under siege." Williams said as he counted the hostiles. "I count eight hostiles. Check that twelve. Maybe more in those buildings."

"What about the civilians? They could be held at any of those buildings." Davis said. He tried to spot even the smallest sign of the civies but he couldn't.

Kowalski voiced his own thoughts. "I think they're being held by the largest building at ten o'clock." They turned to that direction and sure enough, it was fairly large. Large enough to hold the civies captive.

"I think we should wait until nightfall before we can take them out. Or we go in now and risk the civilian's lives. Your call, LT. We go now or tonight." Kyle looked at Frost as he weighed the options.

They faced a small band of men, their numbers maybe below twenty. Coda Village had a population of a few hundred. If they attacked now, the men guarding the civilians may kill them before the US personnel could get to them. Night, they had the element of surprise and stealth. They could take out the enemy before they even realized what was happening.

"I agree." Frost said, removing his eyes from his binoculars. "This is a night op. We can't risk attacking in broad daylight." The party nodded their heads in agreement. "Let's head back and plan how we're gonna do this."

"Roger." They silently moved away from view and headed back to the vehicles to plan.

Night had arrived and the soldiers were gathered by the Strykers receive the mission briefing.

"The village of Coda is being held by a about twenty hostiles. Our objective is to rescue the civilians and neutralize the enemy force. From previously confirmed intel, these guys are part of the Imperial Army. The same ones that attacked Time Square." At this, all the soldiers narrowed their eyes and gritted their teeth. And Frost could sympathize.

"What's the play, sir?" Pvt. Jones asked.

"Kyle, you and Williams are our designated sniper team. Provide sniper cover. This op begins on your word." Kyle and Williams nodded in understanding.

"Davis, you and I will lead a three man team to infiltrate the village from the North and West sides. Phase 1 - clear the hostiles from the surrounding vicinity. Phase 2 - my team will breach Building A while you clear the rest of the village. The rest of RT 1 will stay here and if things go south, roll in and provide fire support."

"Yes, sir." All of the soldiers acknowledged.

"Everyone, no civilians die today. Kyle, your call sign is Viper 1. My call sign is Jaguar 1. Davis, Jaguar 2. Everyone know what to do?" They nodded. "Move out. Grimes, Jones, with me." Frost and his team stealthily moved to the North side while Davis, Scarlet, and Jackson went for the West side.

Kyle and Williams set up on the hill where they had the best view. Kyle, being a trained Delta sniper, manned the silenced M39 EMR with thermal scope while Williams was her spotter.

"Jaguar 1, in position." Frost said over the radio as he and his team hid under the long grass in the shadows.

"This is Jaguar 2, in position and waiting for the go." Davis reported in, hiding as well in the shadows with his team. Ready to eliminate the hostiles Solid Snake style.

"Viper 1 in position." Kyle hailed and she bared her crosshairs to an enemy.

"RT 1, ready and waiting on your command, LT."

"Acknowledged. Viper 1, thin them out."

Kyle squeezed the trigger and the enemy fell. "Tango by that tree. Fifty yards to the North." She trained her sights there and terminated the hostile.

This went on for a few minutes and they had killed six hostiles in the perimeter and were sure that it was time for Jaguar teams to enter the village. "Viper 1 to Jaguar teams, four tangos KIA, perimeter is clear. You have a go. Be advised, thermal scans indicate that about seven hostiles are in Building A and a few in the surrounding structures. Most seem to be concentrated at the square."

"Roger, we'll eliminate the ones in the square first, then proceed to Phase 2. Watch your corners and we'll get through this. Jaguar 1 out." Frost and his men emerged from the grass and maneuvered through the buildings.

Davis and his team did the same.

Jaguar 1 slowly crept towards two hostiles talking. "On three, take them out." Grimes and Jones readied their knives as Frost provided cover. "One, two, three."

The two soldiers came out from the shadows and quickly dispatched the enemy and dragged the corpses to the back alleys to avoid detection.

Frost spotted an incoming hostile and leveled his sights on him. Just before he could pull the trigger, the hostile fell with a hole in his head. "Viper 1, that one was mine."

"Good shooting, Viper 1. Jaguar 2, Jaguar 1 has eliminated three hostiles and are taking positions on the square. What is your current location?"

Davis pulled his knife of a down hostile as Scarlet and Jackson tried to calm a half-naked woman. "Jaguar 2, Oscar Mike to killzone. Don't start the party without us."

"Copy. All right, Jones, Grimes, take your positions." The two soldiers nodded as they surrounded the mass of hostiles by the fire. "Jaguar 1, in position."

"Jaguar 2, in position."

"This is Viper 1, ready."

"On my go, we drop them all." Frost commanded and all teams acknowledged. "...Weapons free."

Suppressed shots rang out as the coordinated attack put down all hostiles.

"Clear, Jaguar 1 moving to Phase 2." Jaguar 1 proceeded towards Building A while Jaguar 2 made sure that the village was clear of hostiles.

"Viper 1, looks like most of the civies are down below. All seven tangos are guarding them. Recommend using breach charges."

"Roger that."

Jaguar 1 moved into position by the cellar doors and stacked up. "Check your fire in there. Single shots only. Don't fire on the civilians."

Grimes and Jones nodded. "Understood."

Frost planted a breaching charge on the metal door. "Three, two, one." Frost pressed the button and the explosion knocked the door off its hinges and the elite personnel stormed the room.

Time moved slower for the men as each of them dropped all seven hostiles. The civilians, having been awoken by the blast, started screaming and looking around frantically.

Frost raised his hands and took off his night vision and balaclava. _"Friendly. Came to help."_ He said, trying to calm them down. It took a while but they finally settled down and the village elder from before came forward.

 _"Frost? Are you here to help us?"_

 _"Yes."_

 _"Oh, thank the gods. Please, get us out of here."_ The elder pleaded and Frost nodded. Coming forward, he shot a controlled burst of 5.56mm rounds on the lock and opened the door.

He and his men helped the wounded villagers. "All stations, sitrep."

"Jaguar 2, the village is secure, I say again, the village is secure. I've got one tango that surrendered, maybe the commander."

"Viper 1, no more hostile on the scope. Area is secure."

"Outstanding. We are coming out with the civies. RT 1, you are cleared to move in. We've got injured civilians. Detain the prisoner for interrogation." Frost said as the group exited the building.

Kowalski fired up the Humvee as the rest of the convoy did the same. "RT 1, moving out." He led the vehicles into the village and formed a defensive circle around it.

The villagers tended their wounded with RT 1 medics doing what they can to help. Frost sighed as the teams regrouped in the village. "Outstanding, soldiers. Now rest up, we got a long day ahead of us."

The teams saluted their commander. "Thank you, sir!" They said before going back to the vehicles for some rest. While Williams interrogated the prisoner.

"What did you get?" Frost asked a bloody knuckled Williams.

"It seems that the Emperor has ordered that all villages outside the empire be destroyed. Burn their crops, poison their wells, and take away their livestock." Williams said and spat on the ground. Harming civilians, what spineless bastards.

"Scorched earth tactics." Frost said and folded his arms across his chest. "Civilians are meant to be protected, not killed off." Williams agreed with his commander.

"What do we do with him?" Williams and Frost looked at the tied up soldier.

"Just leave him there. These bastards don't deserve that luxury." Williams happily obliged and went to get cleaned up and rest as per Frost's orders.

Before Frost could join his team in sleep, his arm was grabbed. He turned around and saw the village elder smiling at him. _"I can't thank you enough for saving our village."_

 _"Our jobs."_

 _"Please, stay here for the night. You and your men must be exhausted and we want to show our gratitude towards our saviors."_

Frost didn't know what the elder mostly said but he guessed that they were allowed to stay and rest. An acceptable proposition. But he had one thing to show the elder first. _"Thank you. But need to show something first."_

Giving a nod, the elder followed Frost to one of the Strykers. The Delta operator opened the back and showed the elder the unconscious elf-girl that they rescued.

 _"An elf?"_ The elder muttered in surprise.

Frost looked to his PDA. _"Found her. Last survivor of village. Attacked by fire dragon."_ The moment he said that, the elder's eyes widened in shock. _"Can take her?"_

Regaining his composure, the elder took off his hat and placed it on his chest. _"Poor girl, but we cannot take her."_

 _"Why?"_ Frost asked and the elder looked at him in the eye.

 _"You say her village was attacked by a fire dragon."_ Frost nodded. _"Then, if that's so. We must evacuate the village at once."_

Frost was surprised at that. Sure, that dragon was huge but was it really a reason to just up and abandon your home? _"Abandon village?"_

 _"There's nothing we can do. Once dragons taste the blood of humans or elves, they will not stop attacking villages. But some of us are injured and we can't move at night."_ Elder looked at his fellow man and bowed his head. They just didn't have the strength.

Frost looked at the civilians. They were pretty banged up. Some of them were severely hurt and knew that they couldn't move. He could always leave them, but that wouldn't sit well with him. But they were a recon team, not search and rescue.

But it was a soldier's duty to protect innocent civilians, no matter which side they were on. And besides, this was a good chance to earn the villager's trust against this so-called _Empire._

 _"We help you."_ The elder looked back at Frost with a smile. _"We'll help."_

 _"Thank you, my boy. You have saved us twice today. We are in your debt."_

After that, Frost was in his Humvee, getting ready to join his squad in some shut eye. Tomorrow, they were gonna lead the villagers to safety. And he'll make sure every gun they had, especially the Bushmasters, were pointed at the sky.

 _ **RECOVERED LONE SURVIVOR OF FOREST SETTLEMENT. STABILIZED HER CONDITION. RETURNED TO CODA VILLAGE AND CONFIRMED HOSTILE OCCUPATION. UNDER THE COVER OF DARKNESS, RT 1 LIBERATED THE CIVILIANS AND ELIMINATED ALL BUT ONE OF THE HOSTILE. BY FIRST LIGHT TOMORROW, RT 1 HAS AGREED TO ESCOR THE CIVILIANS TO SAFETY.**_

 _ **REPORT COMPLETE**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**GATE: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri**_ _**and**_ _ **Call of Duty**_ _ **crossover.**_

"Oscar Mike" - English

 _'Oscar Mike' - Thoughts_

 _"Oscar Mike" - Whatever language these people speak_

 _ **Chapter**_ _ **IV - Exodus**_

 _"Haha, that was sure fun!"_ A bandit said. Tying up his pants.

 _"Yeah, too bad they didn't last long. These were fucking delicious!"_ Another laughed and his compatriots did the same.

They left behind three bodies. One was a man whose top half of his head was missing while the other two were women. Completely naked with the irremovable look of horror, shame, and sadness etched on their faces. And one was only a little girl.

 _"So, what's the next one?"_ A bandit asked, already liking his lips for the next conquest.

The leader gave an even hungrier grin. _"Coda Village. Seems like they're running from a dragon. It'll be a herd of sheep just waiting for us."_

The other men just smiled with the intention of having their own twisted fun. _"But, boss, aren't we a little short handed?"_

His question was answered by another bandit. _"HA! We'll just find men like us. With enough men, we can even take down a lord._ " The man looked at their leader. _"What do you think, boss?"_

 _"From bandit leader to a Lord, eh?"_ He liked that idea. Oh, how much he does. _"I like the sound of that."_

Before they could celebrate, they heard a slashing sound and their leader's severed head fell to the ground with his body going with him.

 _"What the..!"_

 _"Hehehehe."_ From behind the now dead bandit leader, was a girl who looked no older that fifteen with a sadistic smirk on her face. What she wore was a gothic-like dress.

And she had a big fucking axe.

 _"Gentlemen, I really must thanks you."_ The mysterious girl shouldered her bloodied axe. _"For offering your life tonight. Oh, how generous you folk truly are."_ The girl giggled and licked her dark lips to taste the blood of her latest victim.

In a flash, she now stood above the mutilated corpses of four bandits. _"In the place of my master, I will express my deepest gratitude."_

She twirled around while chuckling to herself and made her way to the bandits who had finally recognized who this was and was now trembling in absolute fear.

 _"R-R-Rory M-M-ercury?!"_

 _"Those clothes...they're for a priest of Emroy!"_

 _"One of the twelve apostles! Death God Rory!"_

 _"Run!"_

And they did run and Rory had a look on fake innocent confusion. _"Oh?"_ She used her incredible speed as a demigod to easily catch up to the bandits. _"You mustn't run. Oh, no. You must not run."_ Rory swing her axe and destroyed half his head.

A bandit fell flat on his ass in terror as Rory slowly walked to him humming with her axe raised in one hand. _"A god once said...oh...ah...mmm."_ She moaned in pleasure. _"That every man must meet their ends."_ The man backed away as Rory leveled her sacred axe on him. _"So, you can't just..."_ She brought it down on the man and sliced him in half. _"Run away."_

The last survivor was still running from the monster known as Rory Mercury. _"How can...an Apostle of Emroy...be here?!"_ He asked between breaths until he tripped on the mud. _"Dammit!"_ He was about to get up but a chilling giggle made him freeze.

 _"So, tell me, did you enjoy yourself? Killing and raping with the others, right?"_ The silhouette of Rory slowly made its way to him. Rory grabbed his leg with unbelievable strength, making the man scream as his bones broke.

 _"P-Please, I didn't...do it...I was just..."_

 _"Just what, hmm?"_ Hearing no response, Rory smiled and threw him a good three meters away. Right in front of the women he himself had murdered.

 _"Your friends had done it, why don't you too before you die? It's okay, though, I'll ask them which one is willing."_ Rory had a cheerful way of saying that as the man laid in confusion.

Rory kneeled at the deceased women and hummed. _"Oh, well, this is no good. It seems that they're already dead."_ Rory shut their eyes so they could no longer see the world they had left. _"My apologies for not coming sooner."_

 _"Please, Apostle! I didn't do it, spare me, I beg you!"_ The man begged and Rory could almost laugh. Oh, he was the one who killed them. She saw him moments ago do it. And with a smile on his face.

 _"Well..."_ Rory pursed her lips in thought before smiling again. _"Okay, then dig graves for these three."_

The bandit looked perplexed. _"But...I don't have a shovel..."_

Rory scoffed. What an idiot. _"Then use your hands. After all, they were given to you by your mother."_

By morning, the bandit's hands were a mess with his nails all torn off and the skin all but gone. But he managed to put the three bodies in the ground.

 _"There...is...that...good enough?"_ He panted and looked at Rory who was praying, facing the rising sun before she stood up with a gentle smile.

 _"Yep, that's good enough."_ The bandit smiled, happy that he saved his wretched life. That is, until Rory raised her axe, ready to strike.

 _"W-WAIT! YOU SAID YOU WOULD SPARE ME IF I DUG UP THEIR GRAVES!"_ The man pleaded frantically but Rory just giggled.

 _"True, I did said to dig graves and you've done wonderfully."_ She brought her weapon down and the bandit screamed before being reduced to chunks of meat.

 _"But did I say I was gonna let you live?"_

In the outskirts of Coda Village, there was a blue haired girl loading some books on a wagon.

 _"Argh, dammit all!"_ The doors of a small little house burst ope to reveal an old man carrying a big stack of books before falling down the stairs.

 _"Damn that fire dragon! There shouldn't even be one for another fifty years!"_ The old man, Kato El Altestan, wailed.

 _"Master, cannot carry anymore."_ The blue haired girl, Lelei La Lalena, said in a neutral voice and her master and teacher sighed.

 _"Hmm, this is a problem. Can we do something?"_

Lelei grabbed two sacks and held it up. _"Leaving the Koum seeds and Lokde peers. Most efficient."_

Kato nodded but it still troubled him. He didn't like leaving any of his stuff behind. _"Very well, excellent work, Lelei. But there's still the question on why a fire dragon would just appear out of nowhere."_

Lelei agreed as well. Though she didn't show much emotion, it was indeed troubling that an ancient dragon just up and appeared. But they had to move lest they were its next victims.

The young mage climbed on the cart and turned to her teacher. _"Master, ready. Please ride."_

 _"What? I'm not into riding little girls like you!"_ He said in disgust but his disgust quickly turned to a perverted smile. _"On the other hand, I wouldn't mind riding that curvy sister of yours."_

Lelei didn't like that one bit and summoned a small blizzard at her pervy teacher.

 _"Hey! Do not abuse magic! It is a sacred art, you know!"_ Kata cried, trying to cover himself from his student's spell but luckily she stopped and he climbed onto the cart. _"You just can't seem to take a joke."_

The silent girl ignored him and grabbed the reins and whipped it. But their donkey couldn't move because they were too heavy.

 _"We're too heavy. Can't move."_ Lelei commented.

Kato took out his staff. _"Not to worry, I'll use magic to make the cart lighter."_

 _"'Magic is sacred.' 'Must not be abused.' Those were your exact words."_ Lelei deadpanned and Kato gave a sheepish smile.

 _"Ummm..."_

Lelei sighed and took out her own staff. _"But we have no choice in the matter." S_ he cast a spell to make the cart lighter and they were on their way.

 _"I'm sorry..."_

 _"It is fine. Master is always a forgetful man."_

When they reached Coda Village, they saw that the people there were ready to evacuate. Which was unsurprising since they were talking about a fire dragon here.

It was only human nature to run from things that can end your life painfully.

"Oh, Kato, Lelei. Sorry for the trouble." A villager said as he hurried to pack everything of value in his cart.

"It's all right. What happened here? And why are there several bodies piled up there?" Kato pointed at the pile to his right and Lelei recognized them as Imperial Soldiers.

"Soldiers of Empire." Lelei said and the villager nodded.

"They came to our village and was going to raze it to the ground with us with it. But some strange people came and saved us. Killed these bastards without even being seen." The villager said before leaving the two to their own devices.

"Without being seen? Are they mages like us?" Kato asked himself before turning to Lelei for her opinion. "What do you think, Lelei?"

The young mage merely shrugged. Imperial Soldiers were among the best fighting force present, and yet they were defeated by a band of unidentified people. But it was clear whoever they are were smart and used everything to their advantage. Mage or otherwise.

Before they could join the column of civilians, a loud crash sounded from the front and the whole line stopped.

 _"What happened?"_

 _"A cart was carrying too much and its axle broke!"_

People began to crowd the wreckage and Lelei was about to go help until she heard some people in a language she could not understand.

"Kowalski, get some men and push the cart to the side! Ackerman, see if there's any wounded!" A man in strange clothing carrying some kind of metal rod said.

"Roger!" The rest of them said and they ran to help the civilians.

Lelei watched as they guided the civilians around the wreckage while two helped the injured. They were strange, they were definitely soldiers but none of the young mage could recognize.

 _"Master, going to help."_ Lelei got out of the cart against Kato's wishes and rushed to where the injured were.

When she got there, she saw a young girl on the ground with scratches and bruises and kneeled beside her. _"She is in grave danger."_ She said before one of the strange soldiers kneeled in front of her, it was a woman.

"She's suffered some broken bones. Probably a concussion as well." The woman began to treat the girl as Lelei watched in curiosity and bewilderment.

Th mage couldn't understand a thing this woman had said. They were using a language that was entirely foreign to her. _'Doctors?'_

Before she could dwell on it further, another one kneeled behind her. "Hey, kid, you can't be here. It's dangerous."

Then they heard a rope snapping and the three turned their attention to the horse rearing up. It had gone mad and was about to attack. Lelei froze up in fear for her life but before the horse could charge, three small explosions rung out and the horse fell dead.

Lelei stared at it for a moment before looking back. What she saw was another soldier holding a much smaller rod of metal, but this was had his face covered by some kind of black cloth.

Needless to say, it made this man slightly intimidating.

"Ackerman, Tucker, get her patched up. We're wasting time here." He said and the two, now named as Ackerman and Davis, nodded their heads and carefully carried the girl to the back.

Lelei looked at their retreating backs. _"They...saved me."_

Several hours after the evacuation has started, Recon Team 1 had helped the civilians all they can but they can only do so much. Try as they might, they couldn't save everyone and some of the civilians were left behind.

It weighed heavily on them but they had long accepted the truth that people die and everyone cannot be saved.

They pressed on as the number of those left behind and injured climbed higher and higher with each passing hour. But they did catch a strange girl in a goth like get up. And a big ass axe.

But after a rather compromising incident, the girl was now seated between Kowalski and Frost. And she was enjoying it a little too much.

"All units, keep scanning your sectors for possible threats." Frost ordered as he and the rest of RT 1 carefully scanned the area.

"Clear on my end."

"Skies are blue and clear."

"Surrounding area clear. No hostiles in sight."

"Roger that, but keep your weapons at the ready." Frost contacted the two Strykers. "Strykers, any movement?"

Williams and Kyle checked the two Strykers advanced detection systems and radar. "Board is green. Radar indicates no bogeys and tangos in the vicinity." Williams replied and Kyle gave the same response and Frost nodded.

"Notify me if you pick something up. RT 1 Actual, out."

"Copy, that." The moment Williams and Kyle acknowledged, then radar screen picked up something. And it was big. "Sir, I got something on the screen. And it's coming fast!"

"All units, this is RT 1 Actual. Fangs out, fangs out! We've got company!" Frost relayed his commands and his men readied their weapons.

"All guns ready! Awaiting your orders, LT!"

"Kyle, position?!"

"Target inbound from the South West. It's heading towards the civilians in the rear!"

Frost cursed and turned on the speakers. _"Danger near! Danger near! Everyone disperse!"_ RT 1 broke off from formation and raced towards the South West as the civilians scrambled to escape.

No sooner had he said that, the dragon appeared and spat hot fire towards the fleeing civilians, killing a good chunk of them.

A woman had her leg trapped underneath a burning cart. She and her husband and son tried to get her legs free but the dragon had spotted them.

 _"Go, leave me and save yourselves!"_ She screamed as tears flowed down her face but her husband and son shook their heads.

 _"No! We're not leaving you, Melissa!"_ Her husband and son wailed as they tried harder to get her out.

Melissa looked back and saw the cursed dragon coming ever so closer to them and she was scared. Scared for her, her husband, and her little boy.

Life was so unfair. How can God exist if he lets his own die? Before the dragon could eat them, many thunderous explosions rang out and sparks flew from the dragons head.

It reared back to cover itself just as the two Strykers and one Humvee came racing towards it. They were saved.

One of the strange carts stopped near them and from it came the same soldiers that saved them. "All units, RT 1 Actual is evacuating the injured! Keep that thing off our ass!" Frost said as his men fired at the giant dragon's vulnerable spots.

"Huuah!"

Frost ran towards the cart and helped the man lift it as the son dragged his mother away from the wreck. "C'mon! We'll get you to safety!" He helped the family onto the Humvee. Once that was done, they joined in the fight.

"All units, engage, engage, engage. Give it everything you got!"

The Humvees fired their .50 cal. Anti-Material rounds at the monster and could only chip away at those fucking scales. The only weapon they had to actually hurting it was the 30mm Bushmaster II Chain Gun.

Recon Team 1 maneuvered to avoid the dragon's flames and kept firing but they needed something bigger than the two fifties.

"Aim for the eyes and mouth! Their our primary targets!" Frost barked. "Bushmasters, you are cleared to engage! Cut that fucking thing to pieces!"

The Bushmaster operators leveled their sights towards the beast's head and fired their payload. The massive 30mm shells punched through the tough scales and wounded the creature.

The dragon roared in pain as hot metal scorched and ripped its flesh from beneath.

"You like that, you piece of shit!" Tucker fired more rounds as the rest followed his lead.

One Bushmaster shell got lucky and blew the dragon's remaining eye off and the monster, having enough, began to fly away.

Recon Team 1 would've finished it off, but they didn't have anything bigger like SMAWs so they begrudgingly let it go, but glad that they drove it off before it could kill any more civilians and managed to blind it.

"Sir, the dragon is hauling ass out of here. We're clear." Jackson reported.

"Good work, everyone."

By nightfall, casualties were high with over fifty civies killed by the attack. Those that remained mourned for the dead, especially the children who lost their parents.

Frost looked at the civies and sighed. He always hated losing lives, but at least he saved the majority. Though, that did little to ease his nerves.

"LT, the village chief is here to speak with you." Frost turned around and saw Sgt. Ackerman with the elder. Nodding, Sgt. Ackerman left and Frost began to talk with the elder.

 _"I am sorry to sound so cold but we cannot take care of them."_ The old man said and Frost narrowed his eyes behind his balaclava.

 _"You leave them behind?"_ Frost asked and the elder nodded sadly.

 _"We don't have the resources to take care all of them. Please, you're take them with you. They won't survive on their own."_ The elder pleaded and Frost looked back at the civies in his vehicle.

Most of them were orphaned children, injured civilians, and elderly. The two mages, the elf girl, and the goth. They wouldn't survive if he left them to fend for themselves, if the dragon doesn't get them, then roving bandits would and subject them to horrendous treatment.

They had a look of sadness, apparently afraid that they'd be left behind. But the Rangers had a saying, 'No one gets left behind'.

Turning back to the elder, Frost nodded his head. _"We care for them. No worry."_

The elder smiled gratefully as is the survivors who were extremely grateful at their saviors. The elder placed his hat on his chest. _"Son, you have saved us from the Empire, and the Fire Dragon. We are forever in your debt."_

Frost smiled and nodded his head. Glad he could help the civies out and gained an excellent reputation. A reputation that the Coda Villagers will surely spread.

They said their farewell and the people went their separate ways. _"They're good people. Who are they?"_ A villager said, looking back at the US soldiers.

 _"I don't know, but I'm glad we've met them. They're all right. They even fought a fire dragon on par."_ The villagers said, making up their minds to spread their story.

"Sir, what about them?" Ackerman pointed at the civilians as the rest of the unit mounted their vehicles.

Frost just knew he'll get in deep shit for this but they were refugees. They needed to be helped. He'll just explain it to the Captain on his way back to base.

Facing the refugees, Frost gave a thumbs up. "Don't worry, we don't leave anyone behind."

The children cheered and hugged each other, thee elderly and injured began to cry tears of joy, and Rory and the elf girl smiled softly at Frost's words.

"I knew you'd say that, sir." Ackerman smiled at her commander and Frost chuckled.

"Our jobs are to protect civies, no matter the side." Frost moved to his vehicle and the people moved so he could pass. They gave him grateful stares and Frost appreciated the gestured.

"Good job today, sir. Now, can we go home?" Kowalski asked and Frost entered his Humvee as the civilians went into the awaiting vehicles.

"Mount up, we're heading home. RTB to Fort Arnus!"

 _ **EVACUATION OF CIVILIANS LARGELY A SUCCESS. SUFFERED SUBSTANTIAL CIVILIAN CASUALTIES. FROST AGREED TO TAKE IN SEVERAL AS US SANCTIONED REFUGEES. US MILITARY GARNERED POSITIVE REPUTATION FROM RT 1 RECENT ACTION. RT 1 RTB.**_

 _ **REPORT COMPLETE**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**GATE: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri**_ _**and**_ _ **Call of Duty**_ _ **crossover.**_

"Oscar Mike" - English

 _'Oscar Mike' - Thoughts_

 _"Oscar Mike" - Whatever language these people speak_

 _ **AN: Short chapter. Title speaks for itself.**_

 _ **Chapter**_ _ **V - Taking The Initiative**_

Recon Team 1 was still had about seven clicks away from Arnus and the civies they picked up were soundly sleeping in the vehicles.

The goth girl laid her head on Frost's shoulder as she slept. The elf girl had fallen unconscious again since waking up during the dragon skirmish.

"You really sure about this, sir? You know that the command's gonna be pissed as hell." Kowalski said as he drove to Arnus. Sure, he was glad they could help but he wasn't really sure if they were supposed to help in the first place.

"Leave them to me. Just keep your eyes on the road." Frost continued to study this world's language. It was a fucking pain in the ass.

"Roger that, sir. Still trying to figure that shit out?"

Frost grunted and shut off his PDA. All the movement was giving him a headache anyway. "Yeah. How are our passengers?" He looked at the back and saw the two kids sleeping and one weird girl sleeping on his shoulder.

Kowalski shrugged. "Pretty much like that. But why the fuck do you get all the fun?" He mock whined at Frost.

Before Frost could reply, the distinct roar of rotor blades. They were now within the US controlled cordon.

"RT 1, this is Razor 4-2, good day to ya'. Heard you boys got into a bit of a scuffle." The pilot of an UH-60 Black Hawk said as he lowered the bird down to window level.

"You could say that." The sound of the helicopter woke up the kids and the girl and looked out of the window to see what was going on. And what they saw amazed them.

 _"Wooooow..."_ They gawked at the strange flying cart and could see others dressed like the men that saved them sitting. One of the soldiers waved at them and they hesitantly waved back.

"Uh, RT 1, why do you have kids in the back of you vehicles?"

"Long story. Tell you 'bout it back at base...after I report it." Frost sighed. He was really gonna get a whole pile of shit for this.

"Hehe, well good luck. May God be with ya'." The pilot gave a two fingered salute and pulled away, heading to Fort Arnus.

Frost let to of his ear piece and just sat back. They were in US controlled area, only the truly stupid or had a serious death-wish to come here and fight them.

"Sir, Fort Arnus comin' up." Davis said and on the horizon was Arnus Hill (Imagine a standard US Army base with an airstrip) and on the fields were tanks, LAVs, choppers, and soldiers doing pizza runs.

"Okay, take us in." Frost turned on the radio. "Overlord, RT 1 is at the perimeter, request permission to enter the base."

"Roger that, RT 1. Proceed to the South gate and be ready for debriefing."

"Wilco."

The column entered the base, it was far from complete but operational. They stopped by the personnel barracks and the civilians exited the vehicles and looked on in wonder at this place.

They gawked at the men and women in similar uniforms doing things, massive metal wagons with long noses lined up a short distance away, those metal dragons that flew overhead, and lastly the building in front of them.

 _"This is their fortress?"_

"Tucker, get her to the field hospital. Ackerman, take care of the civies while I go report this." Frost said and his subordinated saluted before carrying out their orders.

* * *

In the Command Center, Frost was in Captain Crawford's office. "WHO GAVE YOU THE FUCKING AUTHORITY TO BRING IN REFUGEES?!"

Frost did nothing but listened to his superior officer's rants. He was just waiting for an opportunity to explain himself and his plan. But before Frost could get the chance, the telephone rang.

Crawford answered it. "Captain Crawford here...yes, I am aware of that...I understand...yes, sir, I'll send him there now." He hung up and turned to Frost. "The general called for you. Dismissed."

Frost saluted and Crawford returned it and the Delta operator turned on his heel and went towards the general's office.

Once he was there, General Morrison was seated at his desk flipping through the recent reports. Frost stood at attention and saluted.

"First Lieutenant Derek Westbrook, reporting in, sir."

General Morrison placed the file down and saluted. "At ease, son." Frost relaxed. "Lieutenant Frost, what do you have to say for this mess? We are not cleared to bring in refugees."

"Sir, I understand."

"Good, then at 0800 hours tomorrow, get rid of them. We don't have the time or resources to take them in." Before Morrison could dismiss Frost, he spoke up.

"Have you read the report, sir?" Frost asked and Morrison showed him the report in his hand. "Then you know that the enemy is killing off its own civilians."

Yeah, Morrison knew, so what? "What are you getting at?"

"Sir, have you ever heard the old saying, 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend'?"

Morrison leaned forward, slightly interested of what Frost was implying. "Elaborate."

"In the encounter with hostile forces in Coda, we've managed to detain and interrogate the commanding officer."

Yes, Morrison knew this, it was in the report but it didn't say what kind of intel was given. Whatever it is, it may be invaluable. "What did he say?"

"The empire is killing off its own civilians. We have also learned that the Allied Army that was sent here were also sent by them."

"You mean that the empire sent over a million men here when they already know what will happen." Morrison could understand. They had eliminated over 70% of the imperial army, if the other kingdoms found out, they would've launched a combined attack. It was only logical to neutralize that possible threat. "I see where this is going, but that still leaves the refugees."

"The empire is exterminating a large portion of its population, combine that with the severely weakened kingdoms, they've made a lot of enemies in this theater. If we manage to get them on our side, we can either incite a civil war or make them surrender."

Morrison liked the sound of that. Convince the civilians and kingdoms to fight for them by winning their hearts and minds. The US would have the immediate advantage. Why didn't he have thought of this? The general looked at Frost with a smirk.

"That's called taking the initiative, son."

 _ **RECON TEAM 1 ARRIVED AT FORT ARNUS WITH THE REFUGEES. DESPITE RESISTANCE, GENERAL MORRISON HAS APPROVED ON TAKING IN REFUGEES ON HUMANITARIAN GROUNDS AFTER NEW INTEL AND POSSIBILITY. REFUGEE CAMP CONSTRUCTION UNDERWAY.**_

 _ **REPORT COMPLETE**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**GATE: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri**_ _**and**_ _ **Call of Duty**_ _ **crossover.**_

"Oscar Mike" - English

 _'Oscar Mike' - Thoughts_

 _"Oscar Mike" - Whatever language these people speak_

 _ **Chapter**_ _ **VI – Contact!**_

Recon Team 1 had stopped in the middle of the road, though the quietness may fool others, this was different. Around the armored vehicles were fucked up bodies, burning carts, and a walled city.

Italica.

It looked like there was a battle not too long ago and the city took one helluva beating and its defenders eying them as possible threats.

Lelei was looking like her neutral self but her staff was ready, Tuka had her bow ready and had a look of worry etched on her face. And Rory? Rory was grinning like mad, just waiting for the chance let loose.

She may just get the chance.

"Two heavy weapon emplacements at ten and two 'o clock. Waiting on you, LT."

Frost placed a finger to his earpiece as his weapon stayed at the ready. "Ballistas. Hold fire. We don't want to scare them any more than we should." He didn't want to provoke them and cause an unwanted incident, but if they attacked first...

An arrow bounced off the lead Humvee's bulletproof windshield. Big mistake. The soldiers quickly reacted by taking cover and readying all of their guns.

"CONTACT!"

* **5** **Hours Earlier***

Fort Arnus was bustling with activity. The refugee camp has been set up along with the necessary essentials like adequate food, water, clothing etc. and Fort Arnus was almost complete in construction.

Communication links back to the states were optimal, defenses were set up along the inner and outer perimeter, aircrafts of the 1st Special Operations Wing and the 1st Fighter Wing were being shipped in as the bulk of the10th Mountain Division were sent in. The president only had to give the mobilization order and the invasion may begin.

But an opportunity had presented itself.

Though the mission parameters haven't changed - apprehend those responsible for the massacre at Time Square, it would also benefit the US of she secured friendly relations beyond the gate. Unpolluted environments, possible mineral and natural deposits, not to mention magic? The possibilities were endless in the New Frontier.

So, with this in mind, the president had authorized to aid the civilians there. General Morrison sent out orders for teams to sweep the surrounding areas for civies in need of aid.

There were no shortage of that.

Frost's words were true that the empire had been killing off its people, evident by the burnt fields and the severed heads of villagers on display. This pissed off the US soldiers.

As the days passed, the locals began to accept the US quite well.

Frost was readying his gear along with his team. Currently, they were in the armory to requisition firearms, ammo, and other utilities.

They were asked by Cato to escort a few of them to Italica to sell some of those scales they had gathered. Frost reported it to the higher ups to get clearance and was approved, citing that they recon the town as well.

Overlord was interested in the town for quite some time, but the most they could do was overhead recon. They only knew it sat on the crossroads between two major roads, but they needed eyes and ears on the ground to get more intel.

So, Frost was cleared under orders to recon the surrounding area of Italica and report back any and all significant intel they could gather.

"LT, so we escort Lelei, Tuka, and the weird goth girl to Italica to sell those scales while we recon the place?" Kowalski asked and Frost nodded.

"Command's been interested in Italica for weeks but the most they could do is UAV recon. The Recon Teams were not cleared to go near it since it's a possible enemy stronghold. We go in, get as much intel as we can, get out."

"What kind of opposition are we expecting, sir?" Kyle asked.

"The latest reports and thermal imaging suggest minimal military presence, but be ready for anything. We're still entering enemy territory."

"Copy that."

Two hours had passed and RT 1 was all ready to go. Lelei, Tuka, and Rory were riding in the lead Humvee with Frost with their cargo.

 _"You guys ready?"_ Frost asked his three passengers who nodded in the affirmative. He was really glad he took those language classes. Even if they were a bitch in the ass.

 _"Yes."_ Lelei said in her usual neutral voice.

 _"Y-Yeah, let's go..."_ A nervous Tuka responded. She was still withdrawn and traumatized.

Rory smiled brightly and went towards Frost. _"Why, yes I am. Whenever you are."_ She said in a seductive voice, hoping to rile up the mysterious commander, but alas it did nothing.

"All right, let's roll. Overlord, Recon Team 1 moving out." Kowalski lead the column passed the security checkpoints before exiting Fort Arnus.

"Copy that."

"So, LT, if things go South, we are getting support right?" Davis asked over the comms as they entered Dessria road enroute to Italica.

"C'mon, Davey. This is just a routine recon assignment, we're not gonna fight something big like that big ass flying lizard or shit." Jackson chuckled.

"This is just a recon assignment, Davis. But if things do go South, we contact Overlord for immediate support."

While their conversation was going on, Lelei, Tuka, and Rory were having one themselves.

 _"So, what do you think about living in Arnus?"_ Tuka asked with a blush after what Rory has asked her a little while ago. Something about Kyle.

Rory was the first to answer. _"It's...interesting. Especially that baths and food. But what I'm interested in is how powerful they truly are."_ Rory had seen what a handful of them could do. Cripple a flame dragon. She could just imagine the carnage if all of them were unleashed.

And that made her aroused.

 _"Yes, it is. Their language and culture is very different from ours. I wish to learn more about them."_ Ever since the first day of her stay at Arnus, Lelei was fascinated with the US Army or Americans as they call themselves. Their language, culture, she wanted to find out more.

 _"Yeah, and..."_ Rory leaned in prompting the other two to do the same. _"What do you think about their commander?"_ The Apostle cast a sideways glance at the mysterious and vigilant Frost.

 _"Um, he's...a little scary with that mask on. And I can't see his eyes."_ Tuka commented quietly as to not gain the man's attention.

Rory giggled. _"I think that makes him interesting."_

 _"He's an effective leader."_ Lelei simply said because it was the truth.

The girls kept chatting away as Kowalski snickered, making Frost groan. "Shut up and keep driving, Sergeant."

Kowalski let out a slight laugh but forced it down when Frost turned to him. "Uh, yes, sir."

Frost sighed and turned back to the road. "Williams, how far are we to Italica."

"Uh, about two clicks, sir. ETA six minutes."

"Roger - what the hell?" Over the horizon where Italica should be was smoke. A very big one. "Kowalski, stop. Williams, you got anything on the scanner?"

Williams checked his board to see what was out there. The instruments revealed nothing in the vicinity. "I got nothing, sir. The skies and surrounding area is clear."

"Maybe there was some accident that caused that?" Scarlet suggested as the three girls peered out of the windows to see what's what.

Frost nodded slowly. "Likely. Let's push on. But keep your guard up, I don't want us getting jumped."

Every vehicle and personnel under his command loaded and readied their weapons, ready and able for combat. "Roger that."

 ***Italica***

The town of Italica was in shambles. For the last few hours, they had been under siege by a land band of marauders. The South gate was already breached, they had sustained heavy losses, but the defenders managed to beat them back.

The commander of the defenders was Princess Pina Co Lada and her knights from the Order of the Rose. She was the daughter of the Emperor, tasked with finding out what kind of enemy were they fighting at Arnus.

First, she had heard rumors from the towns she and her knights had passed about an unknown power named the 'YUUESS Army' had crippled a flame dragon. What's more, is that there were only ten soldiers that did it.

Whatever this army is, it impressed and worried her. Impressed that only ten soldiers could actually defeat a flame dragon. Worried that if ten could do that, she could only imagine what an army of them can do to the Empire.

Then, she had heard about one survivor of the allied armies being treated at a nearby town. It was King Duran of the Elbe Kingdom.

What she heard, she din't want to believe.

Now, she was at Italica under the pretense that the enemy had occupied it already. But instead, was being attacked by the remnants of the allied armies that went mad.

They had fought hard and had managed to repel the enemy but the price was too severe. She had lost many of the most experienced defenders, the South gate has been breached, and the remaining defenders and militia were very low in morale.

Princess Pina lay on her bed in the mansion. She could help but berate herself for this. Her first campaign, might become her first defeat.

For years, she had been trying to prove herself to her father. For years, she and her knights trained until their bones and bodies break. For years, she was denied the chance to prove her worth.

Now she had that chance. And it was all crumbling down on her.

Her self-ridicule was halted when she felt something splash onto her. She gasped and sat up on her bed to see an old woman and man standing by her bed. The head maid and butler of the Countess of Formar.

 _"W-What is it?! Is it the enemy?! Are they attacking?!"_ She asked frantically.

Thankfully, an aged veteran knight under her command, Grey, shook his head. _"I don't know if they're enemy. You'd better see for your self, your majesty."_

Pina put on her armor and made her way towards the East gate accompanied by Grey to see what he meant.

When she got there, she peered over the slide-view of the gate to see the strangest things. Wagons of some kind, made of metal?

 _"What are these things?"_ She asked to no one in particular. And why do these things ring a bell?

 _"Wagons, maybe? But I have never seen anything like it."_ Hamilton, one of Pina's knights, said and Grey nodded to her.

 _"I agree. In all my years, I have never seen a wagon or cart made entirely of steel."_

Pina looked closely and she could distinguish people inside of them. _"I can see people moving inside of them."_ If there were people in there, she had no idea if they were friend or foe.

 _"What do you think we should do?"_ Grey asked but before Pina could give her orders, one of the archers above lost it.

 _"Die, you bastards!"_ The archer launched his arrow towards the wagon but it just bounced off. Before the archer could fire again, he was restrained by his comrades.

But the damage was done.

 ***Present***

"CONTACT!"

Recon Team 1 activated their weapon platforms and zeroed in where the shot came from. Lelei and Tuka kept their heads down while Rory, as much as she would love a slaughter, just stayed put for now.

"Strykers, move up take out those Ballistas!" Frost barked over the radio and the two Strykers moved up ahead of the column to provide cover and take these bastards out.

"Target acquired." Kyle and Williams said, ready to unleash hell.

"Fire!"

The Bushmasters unleashed a devastating burst of 30mm explosive shells towards the hostile enemy weapons, destroying it and those manning it completely.

Pina, Hamilton, Grey and the rest of those inside the walls ducked as explosion after explosion smashed through the gates. Rubble and bodies rained down from on top of the walls and their two remaining Ballistas and those near it were destroyed.

 _"What the hell was that?!"_ Hamilton screamed out as they prepared themselves for a battle.

But there was no charge, only a very clear message.

 _"This is the US Army, stand down! I repeat, stand down or we_ _ **will**_ _use deadly force!"_

Nearly everyone in the town froze and paled at hearing that name. The US Army, as in the army that injured the fire dragon with only ten soldiers?

May the gods help them all.

 _"Hamilton, isn't that..."_

The young knight gave a hesitant nod. And Pina peered through the slide again. They were dealing with a force greater than them, and they just pissed it off.

 _"You have five seconds to respond!"_ The booming voice said that frightened them to an extent. _"Five!"_

 _"Princess, your orders!"_ Norma, a male knight asked as he readied the archers to launch their shots.

 _"Four!"_

Pina had no idea on what to do. If they fight, they die. If they surrender, they become prisoners. This was a force they couldn't hope to overcome, not with this lot.

 _"Three!"_

 _"Princess, your orders?!"_ Norma asked again, now more desperate. He was ready to act and give his life, but with honor, not to be blown to bits!

The princess looked at the inhabitants of Italica and saw they were extremely afraid. If the Ballistas were any indication, they could level the entire town if they wanted to, burying those inside underneath.

 _"Two!"_

At last, she made her decision. _"Stand down! Everyone, stand down!"_ Pina commanded and her defenders hesitantly lowered their arms.

 _"Princess Pina, are you sure about this?"_ Grey asked warily. If these were in fact the famed US Army, Italica was at their mercy. And considering they had just provoked them...

 _"I would rather fight, but...we don't stand a chance. Dammit, I hate being defeated."_ Pina growled out.

Back at RT 1, Frost could see that those on top of the wall stood down and lowered their weapons.

"Sir, they're disengaging! We got 'em scared shitless!" Tucker reported from his post manning the .50 cal.

 _"Open the gate so we may enter!"_ Frost demanded and after a few moments, the gates were opened. He scanned the interior and saw no opposition from where he was.

Frost entered his Humvee. "Take us in, nice and slow." Kowalski slowly lead the convoy to the entrance while also scanning for any aggression.

They entered the town without much trouble. All their guns were pointed at those that shot at them, from those at the top and those on the ground.

Frost stepped out of his vehicle and glared at the inhabitants. Most were armed civilians behind a makeshift barricade while some were Imperial soldiers.

 _"Who gave the order to shoot at my guys?"_

 _ **LELEI, TUKA, RORY REQUESTED TRANSPORT TO ITALICA. RCON TEAM 1 TASKED WITH ESCORTING THE THREE AND ORDERED TO RECON ITALICA FOR SIGNIFICANT INTEL. UPON ARRIVING, REMNANTS OF A BATTLE WERE EVIDENT. THE DEFENDERS OF ITALICA ATTACKED US PERSONNEL UNPROVOKED AND RETALIATED ACCORDINGLY. SITUATION AT ITALICA IS DEVELOPING...**_

 _ **REPORT COMPLETE**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**GATE: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri and Call of Duty crossover.**_

"Oscar Mike" - English

 _'Oscar Mike' - Thoughts_

 _"Oscar Mike" - Whatever language these people speak_

 _ **Chapter VII – Burn 'Em**_

To say that tension was high in Italica would be a tremendous understatement. Right in front of the innocent civilians of the city stood the intimidating figure of a mighty warrior and behind him were his soldiers in their metal carts, ready to attack on his word.

They wore strange armor and carried metal rods that were clearly not swords. But they knew their weapons were powerful. Evident by the destruction they caused mere moments ago.

Pina and her knights stood in shock at what they were seeing. In front of them was the famed US Army they had heard so much about. At first, Pina herself couldn't believe it. Not even the Empire's greatest heroes couldn't slay an ancient dragon for centuries, but only ten of these soldiers supposedly crippled the beast in under an hour.

The princess could feel cold sweat running down her face. If she didn't have a good reason to give to them, she can kiss Italica goodbye.

 _"I'll ask again. Who gave the fucking order?"_ The man asked in a menacingly even and deep voice that radiated authority.

Frost wasn't going to order his squad to kill them, that isn't how the US Armed Forces operates. But he'd be damned if this didn't go unanswered. And, if things went South, he and his squad won't be held accountable for what happens to them.

Pina subconsciously shivered at the man's icy tone. He meant business.

Hearing his words and the obvious warning with it, almost all of the defenders looked at Pina who promptly went white as snow as the man turned to her. She cursed under her breath, she just hoped she can convince them this was just an unfortunate accident.

The Delta operator looked at the redheaded woman and assumed she was the commander here. But before he could question her, another woman interrupted him.

Hamilton stepped forward and got in front of her princess. How dare this scoundrel treat Imperial royalty like this?! _"How dare you, you impudent fools! Don't you know who this is?! This is-"_ Whatever the young novice knight was going to say died when she heard numerous clicking sounds and saw the man and the ones from those carts pulling some sort of levers from their weapons.

Frost was already pissed, but these fucking jackasses were _really_ starting to test his patience! He cocked his weapon and his entire squad followed suit.

From inside the lead Humvee, Lelei and Tuka looked worried while Rory was itching to be let loose and held onto her halberd in anticipation, ready for some fun. The Empire was always so full of themselves, she wouldn't mind helping the US Army in killing a few…thousands.

" _Was I talking to you?"_ Frost asked in a very dangerous tone as he stared the woman in the eye, giving nothing but her terrified reflection right back at her through his tactical goggles.

Hamilton looked ready to wet herself. She couldn't see his face, not even his eyes. Only her reflection. Out of fear, she shook her head slowly.

 _"Then shut up."_

The young knight recoiled and looked at her princess only to receive a blood raged glare from Pina. _"You idiot. Go back with the others!"_ She snapped at Hamilton who scurried away sobbing.

By this time, mothers were hugging their children, husbands were hugging their wives for the possibly last time.

Not wanting to waste any more precious time, Pina steeled her nerves and took a step forward. _"I am in command."_ The headstrong princess mentally congratulated herself when she didn't flinch when the masked soldier turned to her.

 _'Fuckin' finally. Someone with a goddamn spine.'_ Were the collective thoughts of Recon Team 1.

Frost wasted no time. _"Identify yourself."_

A single bead of sweat rolled down Pina's face as all of Italica held their breaths. It all hinged on what she says and how much mercy would be given. _"My name is Pina Co Lada. Third Princess of the Empire."_

Though his balaclava hid his face, Frost was surprised but then quickly turned to disdain and the feeling was mutual for his squad and they were put on high alert. But he just had this to say. _'What the hell kind of name is Pina Co Lada? Sounds like a fucking drink.'_

These were essentially enemy combatants. High ranking enemy combatants especially the one in front of Frost. He should arrest her in bring her back for interrogation, but something was telling him to let the situation develop before he made a move.

And it looks like she doesn't know who they really are for the moment. Frost'd like to keep it tight lipped for now.

"Be ready to fire on my command. Just in case." Frost whispered through the comms.

"Solid copy. We gotcha covered." Jones replied.

 _"Did you order your men to attack?"_ Frost asked once he was sure his squad was ready for a possible combat situation.

 _"No. I did not give such an order. One of my defenders had mistaken you for marauders and fired his arrow. They're just ordinary men trying to protect their homes."_ Pina said, hoping that that was a good explanation. An explanation only the incredibly merciful would buy.

Frost and his squad took the time to survey what these defenders looked like. They were no more than civies armed with swords and spears. A poorly assembled militia tasked with the defense of the town.

Well, if the tables were turned, any one of RT 1 would've done the same if a strange vehicle pulled up just outside your doorstep.

 _"That it? No tricks, no lies, just one of your guys lost their shit."_ Frost asked to confirm his assumption.

Pina saw a glimmer of hope. This was a great relief for her. They seemed to believe her, though it came at a cost of a bruised ego and a shattered pride. _"Yes, it's the truth."_

The two had a tense standoff and everyone could feel the tension in the air. Even if these US Army folk believed her, there was still no guarantee that they'll spare Italica. The Imperial Army has done it countless times before, why not them?

Grey, Norma, and Hamilton looked from behind their princess. Worried that something may happen to her and cast a wary eye towards the strange group of soldiers in their carts ready to lash out at their commander's behest. The people prayed to the gods that they be spared and just hoped for the best.

As for Pina, whatever happens, she was ready. She was ready to fight and die if needed then at least she'll die with honor.

After what seemed like years, Frost flicked his safety on and shouldered his weapon. "All units, disengage. I repeat, disengage. The situation has been defused. For now." He said over the comms.

It took Recon Team 1 time to digest this, but they slowly lowered their weapons. Williams and Kyle disengaged the Bushmasters, and Tucker and Jackson let their fifties rest. Lelei and Tuka breathed a silent sigh of relief while Rory began to pout.

Seeing that the soldiers were relenting, the citizens of Italica breathed a huge sigh of relief and hugged their families closer.

Pina and her knights were also relieved that this whole thing was resolved with no bloodshed with the exception of the two Ballistas and about five men. The princess cursed, they were already shorthanded and now she not only lost five men, but their Ballistas at the East gate.

 _'Dammit. We don't have any more men to spare and those Ballistas were the only things we have to defend against. Unless...'_ Then, it hit her. It was an extreme long shot but she had to persuade these soldiers to help them in Italica's defense.

She knew the kind of devastation they were capable of, just look at the walls. And that could make them an invaluable ally. But the question is how. How would she be able to get them on her side?

Sure, she managed to convince them of the truth, but that doesn't mean the two sides were on friendly terms.

Frost gave the order to dismount and they did. The citizens of Italica and Pina and her knights got a good look at them. They wore similar attires as their commander. It confused them considering just how unprotected they were. Their knees and elbows were covered by what seem like guards, their heads were protected with a different kind of helmet with strange attachments, and their eyes were all covered by some black things.

And their weapons were also similar to their commander. A metal rod, if they had to guess. That struck them as odd, wouldn't they prefer swords, spears, and shields instead of a metal pole? But the people knew better than to question them.

Norma leaned towards Grey. _"Such strange weapons. And they're completely exposed. No armor."_

The veteran knight nodded. _"Yeah. I won't question their weapons, but their get up? Such strange uniforms."_ The civilians gave their own comments about them.

Pina overheard them and couldn't help but agree. They did look strange in those clothes especially those colors. Were those on purpose? Especially their commander who hid his face and eyes.

Then the last three came out. The first was a young mage, no problem there. The second was an elf and her attire was…something else…

" _Woah, look at that."_

" _Those are some weird clothes."_

" _What the hell is she wearing?"_

These were only a few comments on the elf's clothes. It consisted with a white shirt and a blue pair of pants, but one thing was for sure, it showed off her luscious figure. It was weird...but really looked good.

And the next…

Now, Italica's civilians and defenders, as well as the knights know the full gravity of the consequences they narrowly escaped.

Out from the first cart was the infamous Rory Mercury. And she looked less than pleased. To say they dodged a bullet was a deadly understatement. More like an artillery shell.

Pina gaped at who was with these soldiers. She had never felt so lucky in her life. A true Lindonite mage, an elf, and Rory the Reaper.

She and her knights were really glad they hadn't engaged them in a fight or it would really be their last as Rory never shows mercy to her enemies.

Never.

Frost looked at Rory who was pouting and grumbling about something. He turned to Lelei. _"What's with her?"_

" _She wanted to fight."_ Pina stiffened. _"You didn't. Upset."_ Lelei said in her usual neutral voice.

Tuka nodded. _"Yeah, could you, uh, get her to stop please? She's really scary."_

Rory huffed and turned away from Frost and he shook his head. _"Save it for the real enemy. Then you can slice up as many as you want."_

The demigoddess liked that, hell, loved it. Besides, she wasn't keen on killing defenseless civilians. Giving a dark, cheerful smile, Rory giggled. _"My, aren't you the flatterer."_

Pina and the rest of her knights couldn't believe their eyes. Rory the Reaper, the Apostle of the God of War, Death, Crime, and Madness, was allied to this army. They paled at the thought of going up against her.

Frost sighed before turning back to the admittedly frightened princess.

 _"What's the situation here?"_

"What's the play, boss?" Grimes asked as they gathered to the second Stryker for the situation briefing.

Frost has just got back from the temporary base that was the Countess' mansion with Lelei, Tuka, and Rory. He had left the rest of his squad to help out with the clean up and treat the wounded until he came back.

And turns out, the countess was no more than an eleven year old child. Talk about pressure and the fact that there were under attack by bandits didn't help.

The princess gave him the run down on the situation. Possible points of attack, enemy numbers, the condition of the defenders, etc. But she made the mistake in giving Frost extremely valuable intel.

Turns out, Italica wasn't just the junction of two major roads, it was also a major economic and commercial center for the Empire.

Command had to know this.

To keep up appearances, he agreed to help them and the princess had him and his men stationed at the East gate since it was the least defended and they were responsible for it. So Frost took it.

After getting back to the East gate, Frost went to report back to Overlord about the intel he had gathered. Gen. Morrison himself was present at CentCom when Frost gave his report.

Upon hearing what Frost had to say, Gen. Morrison immediately realized that this was an opportunity he just couldn't pass up. This Empire relied on this small town for money and supplies, if he can sever that, and occupy the town, the US forces would gain an even bigger advantage.

Not that they need it.

"General Morrison just sent the word. He's assembling a strike force to assist and occupy Italica, but we'll be on our own until they can arrive. ETA unknown." Kowalski, Davis, Jones, Grimes, Jackson, and Scarlet groaned.

"What the hell happened to just a goddamn routine recon op?" Grimes sighed.

Williams spoke up next. "Do we know where the most probable side are they gonna go for?"

Frost brought out a console and it showed the enemy position a few clicks to the North East. "UAV recon just spotted them about a few clicks to the North East. Simulations predict that the most likely place to mount an assault is here at the East gate." The console showed the most probable outcome and it was at the East gate.

"Sounds like we're gonna have to dig in." Kyle said and Frost nodded at her.

"As of now, hostile numbers are almost a thousand, and each of them are bloodthirsty psychos who wanna kill every last one of the civies. Maybe worse." Frost opened an overhead image of Italica from earlier recon missions. "The fields are our killzone here at the East gate, we'll set up charges all the fields about two hundred meters from our current position. The primary defensive line is located at the outer wall. Secondary defensive line is at the barricade. Line up the victors and aim all guns at the entrance and we hold our ground there until the cavalry arrives. Any questions?"

"Do we get close air?" Kowalski asked and Frost smirked from under his balaclava and turned to his squad.

"A-10s." Hearing that, some couldn't help but chuckle.

"Hell to the fuckin' yeah."

The sun was setting over the horizon now, it was indeed beautiful but this wasn't the time for gawking at it. Italica was still under siege by one thousand marauders that they were sure to come back at any time.

During the last hours, Frost and his team were setting up defenses all along the Eastern gate and fields. Two hundred meters from the gate were a line of C4 charges. Covering the fields were Frost, Williams, Kyle, Kowalski, and Jones, as well as some archers and a knight named Noma.

The knight still didn't trust these soldiers. They insulted the princess and killed five of their own. But as much as he hated to say it, they needed all the help they can get.

"Anything on the scope?" Frost asked as he scanned the area from his position.

"Negative. No sign of hostiles yet." Kyle reported from her post armed with her M14 EBR.

The second the defenders found out that there were also women as soldiers, they were instantly confused. Kept saying that women were not meant to do anything but take care of the men, children and the house.

One arrogant defender tried to approach Sgt. Kyle forcefully. He currently had a broken nose, a snapped arm, and a shattered pelvis.

"All right, keep scanning. Stay frosty." Frost looked down towards the lined up vehicles. The second defensive line. "How's everything on your end, Davis?"

"We're online and ready, sir. The fifties and Bushmasters are fully loaded and ready to unleash hell." Davis sighed leaning on the hood of a Humvee. "But it would've be nice to have some help from these arrogant bastards."

Frost had to agree. The princess was convinced that the South gate would be the most likely to be attacked so she sent the majority of her men there, leaving the other gates severely undermanned.

Frost, for the most part, tried to convince her other wise. But she didn't so he said, to hell with it. He had to hold his temper when she was cutting him off at everything he was about to say, saying that her plan was the best possible.

Stupid fucking bitch. When the time comes, he'll be happy to put a bullet in her head.

"Copy that." Frost stood up and walked to where Rory, who was leaning by the edge of the wall towards the fields, was.

Out of all of them, she was probably the only one looking forward to this. Lelei and Tuka were at the Humvees, while not technically fighters themselves, they'd be damned if they didn't help.

Frost had tried to talked them down, but they were adamant about it so he stationed them to the barricade with the second team.

 _"Why did you agree?"_ She asked all of a sudden.

 _"Hmm?"_

 _"Why did you agree to help the princess of an empire that's supposed to be your enemy?"_ She clarified as she turned to him. Rory knew there was something behind this, a hidden motive. She just wanted to know what it was.

 _"To help the people."_ It was a rather obvious answer. He turned his gaze towards the demigoddess. _"You interested in another reason?"_

Rory smiled. _"The god I serve, Emroy, is the god of war. The act of taking lives is not a sin to him. But that makes your motives very important. Lies and deception taint the soul."_

Frost thought her words were...bullshit. If she said that to some CIA agent, that agent would probably laugh...and be dead. Lies and deception were a part of war and it will always will be, so it was stupid to think that. In war, it was absolutely necessary to use everything to your advantage and that included deceiving the enemy.

But still...

 _"Our objective is to protect the civies, that's not a lie. But there is one other thing."_

 _"Oh?"_ Rory tilted her head, intrigued about this other reason.

 _"The princess is a high ranking figure of the empire. I want these Imperial shits, especially that damned princess, to know just who exactly they're fucking with."_ Frost said in a cold voice that sent a slight shiver down Rory's spine.

An evil smile grew on the demigoddess' lips. _"Ah, so that's what this is all about. To send a clear and brutal message. To strike terror into their hearts so that they'll never challenge you. I love it. I love it!"_ Rory faced him and curtsied. She was really starting to get interested in Frost. _"Then I will be happy to assist you and besides, it has been a long time since I had some fun."_

Frost smirked and handed her an earpiece. _"Then once the fireworks starts, you know what to do."_

Rory looked at the earpiece before giggling and putting it on her right ear. _"My pleasure."_

It was well beyond midnight now, and yet still no activity on the scopes. Frost had the fires put out so that they had they element of surprise. The knight tried to order to them to stop, but Frost made it _very_ clear he was in command of his troops, not them.

Most of the...militia were already succumbing to the temptations of sleep but for the US soldiers, this was child's play. They just went through World War III after all.

Kyle scanned the surrounding fields for any signs of heat signatures through her thermal scope. At first, nothing. Then she got a hit. About eight hundreds to the East was a large group coming towards them. "Kyle to all units, I got a visual of a large group heading towards our position. Range eight hundred meters.."

The moments she said that, Frost, Williams, Kowalski, and Jones readied their weapons and scanned the fields. They had NODs on and could see into the darkness clearly. And just like the sniper said, they had company.

Lots of company. Lots of target practice.

"All units, be advised. We got confirmation of hostile forces coming in. Man your battle stations, ladies, this is it."

Davis and the rest of the secondary defensive team heard what their commander said and readied themselves. Tucker and Grimes manned the two fifties while Jackson and Scarlet operated the two Bushmasters. Davis and Ackerman took up positions behind the Humvees followed by Tuka and Lelei who were also ready to fight.

"All systems go, LT. We got the inner perimeter secured." Scarlet reported.

"Copy all." Frost turned to Rory who crouched beside him. _"Enemy foot mobiles spotted about eight hundred meters to our front. Tell the bastard over there to get ready."_ Frost nodded his head to the knight, Norma.

Rory chuckled amusedly, guessing that Frost had had enough of Imperial stupidity. Nodding her head, she skipped almost happily to Norma.

"Kowalski, you got that detonator?" Frost peered over the wall with his NOD to see for himself the hostile forces. They were right there and closing in. Too bad they were walking into a carefully laid-out killzone.

Kowalski held onto the detonator. "Right here. Just say the word and kaboom."

"Stay frosty. Here they come."

As the marauders marched towards Italica, they couldn't help to feel exhilarated. Finally, they would get the slaughter they desired in Italica. To get the death they deserved.

That's what mattered to them anyway. Kill and die, they didn't care as long as they took as many lives to Emroy as they can with them.

" _Finally. I've waited long enough for this."_ One said with a crazed grin as they marched towards the town. Ready to kill and rape everyone there.

 _"Ha, they're probably focusing on the South. How stupid can you get!"_

Those with him laughed maniacally. _"Damn right! At long last, the bloodshed and death we sought at Arnus will be done!"_ The whole army roared with him.

After the slaughter of Arnus, most of those that survived went insane and ran amok on the surrounding area, killing and just plain doing doing bad things.

Then some them heard that Italica was in chaos since the Lord there was missing after going into the gate. Easy pickings for them.

They gathered up what remained of the Allied Army to attack and burn Italica to the ground. And make its inhabitants their own personal playthings.

 _"They're really stupid! The East gate looks deserted!"_ One of them pointed to the barely illuminated gate. Nobody was there to defend it. Or so they thought.

 _"This'll be too easy!"_

 _"I want blood now!"_

They continued to march to the gate until it was in range for their archers. _"Archers, form up!"_ One on the horse, probably the leader, commanded.

The men lined up and lit their arrows ablaze and took aim. The entire horde smiled in anticipation to the blood they'll spill. But unknown to them, they were a hundred meters from the gate.

Pity. They were already dead.

"Do it."

"Happy New Year."

The archers barely even had time to launch their arrows when it happened.

As if fate had demanded it, the ground beneath their feet exploded. Explosion after explosion thundered through their ranks. Those unlucky enough to actually be on top of the explosion were no more. And those near it were torn to pieces.

Screams of shock and agony could be heard shadowing the booming explosions. Mangled bodies and dismembered limbs flew into the air and landed with sickening sounds. But the carnage didn't just stop there.

If the initial blast didn't kill you, the shrapnel will.

When the explosions finally ceased, a good patch of land was scorched with craters almost lined perfectly. But the damage was worse for the human anatomy.

One had a piece of metal jammed into his left eye socket, another had his arms completely blown off, another was blown in half and trying desperately to crawl away. And many more suffered even worser fates.

It was utter chaos within the marauder ranks. _"What the hell just happened?!"_

 _"What kind of sorcery is this?!"_

While they were trying to regroup, something flew up into night sky. Something from their worst nightmare.

Those small suns. Like those from when they were slaughtered at Arnus. The symbol of demons.

The men looked at the two small spheres of light in shock and fear. This cannot be... Visions of what had transpired at Arnus flashed before their eyes. The sudden explosions, the deafening roars of the hills, the bodies smashed into the ground like squashed grapes.

 _"No..."_

"OPEN FIRE!" They heard someone on the wall in an unrecognizable tongue and then, all hell broke loose. Fast moving lights descended from the wall and cutting those who survived down.

The archers fell into a heap, blood spewed from the holes that mysteriously appeared on them and they lay dead or dying. Some even had chunks of their body torn or blown off. One archer stood over his butchered comrades and gazed upon the wall of Italica.

A flash of Arnus Hill appeared in his head and it was eerily similar. The flying orbs the lit the darkness, the strange lights that streaked through the air, and men falling like flies to the mysterious force.

 _"Death has come..."_ He said before one of those lights passed through him right between his eyes and the back of his head exploded in a shower of blood and brain matter. The bandit fell down in a thud over his fellow as those still standing screamed all around him.

His visions became blurry until the life finally left him.

 _...to claim them._

Kyle saw that the tango in her crosshairs was down and dead, and went to reload her weapon. "Loading!"

Frost fired a burst of 7.62mm rounds to a closely packed group of disorientated and shocked hostile and killed all but one which was quickly dispatched by an arrow to the head.

Jones and Kowalski were mowing down scores of hostiles with the M240 MG. Controlling their rate of fire for maximum effectiveness.

Williams was covering Kyle's side of the field until she was loaded. "Left side, left side! Foot mobiles moving to the left flank!" He informed his team.

Frost could see a sizeable group of enemies coming towards them but he and his team were busy dealing with the bulk of the frontal assault. Fortunately, he had a heavily bloodthirsty demigoddess at his disposal. _"Rory, take the left flank! Go, go!"_

' _Finally.'_ Rory was more the happy to follow Frost's orders and jumped right into the fray. When her feet landed on the ground, she wasted no time and sliced up anything that moved.

Frost and his team were a little impressed that the girl could move and take out large numbers of enemies in an almost whimsical manner. "Damn, remind me not to piss her off." Kowalski said when he saw Rory split five men in half with one go at her big ass halberd.

"Shut up and keep shooting!" Frost snapped and they poured on the fire, taking care not to hit their asset on the ground.

While this was going on, Norma was in a state of shock as his men tried to help however they can. What was happening? The last thing he knew was the quiet and darkness of the night, until her holiness informed him to be ready for an imminent attack.

He was compelled to follow her orders since she was above him in any way possible. Norma ordered his men to ready themselves but all they could see was the dark, no thanks to the soldiers that had taken command.

Then, just like that the gods were enraged with them, the night sky flashed with incredible light and Italica shook to its very foundations when thunderous explosions tore through the land.

Unprepared for this, he and his men clung to the walls due to the shockwaves from both the air and ground nearly making them fall.

Once that was done, he expected that it was over. Oh how wrong that knight was when those strange soldiers pointed upwards and from their hands came fire that flew over them and illuminated the night like the sun rising in the morning.

When he laid eyes on the fields surrounding Italica, he couldn't believe his eyes. The marauders were only a few ways away from them, but what really caught his attention was the massive craters that were lined up perfectly…like it was planned.

As if his day was not getting any weirder, the US soldiers, stood over the wall with their weapons close to their faces and out from the ends spout fire and thunder that instantly killed anything in their way.

' _These are no ordinary soldiers. They couldn't be. No soldier was this powerful!'_ He thought to himself. They were no soldiers, they were demons. The Army of Emroy.

But Norma was forced out of his stupor when another smaller explosion thundered. He shook his head and realized that the battle had already begun and cursed. This was not the time to be a coward, this was the time to fight!

Frost saw that the bastard was finally acting his rank and grunted before laying down more fire. The initial shock of the blast had dissipated and he could see that the hostiles were regrouping.

That was bad. Though they had taken out a good chunk of their numbers, there was still around six hundred of them at least.

After a several more minutes of shooting, Frost and his team were running low on ammo and tangos had reached the outer wall perimeter.  
"Grenade out!" Williams dropped a frag grenade to the bottom and it exploded, mutilating a small group of bandits trying to set up ladders.

"Sir, Rory's in trouble!" Kyle exclaimed to Frost and he turned to where Rory was. She was about to get overwhelmed by the sheer numbers!

"Shit! All units, provide cover fire!" His team shifted fire to provide Rory some much needed room to escape the kill box she was in. _"Rory, pull back, pull back now! We need you at the gate!"_

The demigoddess heard what Frost had said through her earpiece as she cut down four more men trying to kill her. Like that would ever happen! But she would be lying if she hadn't been hit a few times.

She had a few small and deep cuts on her but that was no problem. In fact, it made this a lot more…attractive to her. Besides, it would be very boring if she didn't feel any kind of pain from this.

While her wounds closed up thanks to her healing ability, she raced towards the wall to where the fighting was still going on.

Frost ducked under an incoming arrow and tossed a frag grenade as retaliation. He reloaded his HK 417. He was low on ammo. "Ammo check!"

"I'm down to my last two clips, sir!"

"I got four rounds left!"

"I'm out!"

The Delta operator cursed under his breath and took out his very last clip. "Williams, last mag! Make it count!" He tossed his last mag to his subordinate who immediately loaded it into his own.

Peering over the safety of the stone walls, Frost could see bodies lying on the ground from the dead and dying. But there were still plenty of hostile coming towards them. This can't go on much longer. He needed support now!

"Overlord, this is RT 1 Actual! We have engaged hostile forces on the East gate and are running low on ammo! We are losing the AO! Where the fuck is our air support?!" He roared to his comms as he fired single shots to the seemingly unending horde.

"RT 1 Actual, A-10s are already in the air and are entering your airspace. Just hold on."

"Copy that, Overlord! Tell them to haul ass our defenses aren't gonna hold out much longer!"

"Roger, they'll be there. ETA three minutes. Good luck. Out."

"We got air support on the way! ETA three minutes! Keep up the pressure, we **cannot** lose this town!"

The sun was already rising and though they managed to keep the marauders at bay for a time, the numbers game was just too much and some have breached the perimeter.

"Contacts on the wall! Be advised, hostiles are on the wall!" Jones had to dodge an incoming sword swing and take the bastard out with his sidearm.

Frost looked to his right and saw that two hostile were about to kill a preoccupied Williams. Leveling his sights at them to protect his subordinate, he failed to notice one was right behind him.

" _I'll have your head as a trophy!"_ The mad man laughed and was about to decapitate the famed Delta operator but before he could, he was cut in half. Frost turned around just in time to see the man fall in two.

He looked at the corpse before seeing Rory standing with a slight smirk on her face. _"My, we should probably move, no?"_

Frost couldn't agree more. He and his team were almost out of ammo and the perimeter has been breached. Time for a tactical withdrawal to the secondary lines.

"Our position has been compromised! Enemy foot mobiles have breached the perimeter! No choice! Retreat to the secondary defensive line! I say again, retreat to the victors!"

"Roger!"

It was a lost cause to defend this position now so the US soldiers made a tactical withdrawal to the more defensible vehicles who were itching to let loose.

When they finally reached the victors, the entire wall was overrun and those left behind to defend the were eventually butchered. Even the knight fell that dealt a severe blow to the rest of the militia's morale.

 _"Here's you glorious leader!"_ One of those fucks threw the knight to the unforgiving ground and he landed with a crunch. While the marauders laughed at their supposed victory, RT 1 was getting ready for round two.

The reason why Frost had placed the victors at the barricade was simple. The only way the bulk of the marauder's force would go through was the gate. A bottleneck.

They may have taken the gate but Frost made sure they payed dearly for it. Now, he was gonna collect what's left.

Frost grabbed a fresh clip and loaded his weapon and leveled his sights to the front as did the rest of his squad. Rory was still craving blood and ready to pounce, Tuka readied her bow with trembling hands, and Lelei readied every offensive spell she knew.

"Hold fire until my order then unleash hell." Frost relayed his orders.

"Copy. Now it's our turn to play." Davis chuckled as he and the second team readied the big guns.

The marauders that had breached the wall began to open the gate. "Round two. Everyone get ready." Every gun they had was pointed forward, waiting for these fucks to charge in. Right into a hail of bullets and shells.

But instead of charging in like Frost wanted, the bandits instead strolled in like they fucking own the place. At first, RT 1 was confused but their confusion quickly turned to shock.

These bastards were dragging in numerous bodies of men and women, bare naked and brutally mutilated. Deep slash marks adorned their bodies and carelessly threw them to the space between them and RT 1.

What the hell were they doing?

The men had their skulls caved in and their genitals looked like they were torn off. Some were even skinned, most likely, alive. The women were littered with bruises and looked like they were raped countless times by these animals. The looks of sadness were forever etched unto their faces. But the most obvious and devastating was the deep and long gash that ran from their chest to their lower abdomen. Like they were gutted or-

"WAAAHHHH!"

At the unmistakable sound of crying, Frost and his squad snapped their attention to the source and their eyes widened in horror.

One of these fucks were holding a newborn infant upside down by his feet. And with an insane smile held up a knife, ready to kill the baby. But this isn't just that.

Frost could see that on their spears were the impaled bodies of infants.

 _Infants._

This display enraged the US soldiers and by extension, their passengers. These bastards would stoop so low as to involve innocent children to this?! If they could save the baby, they would but their hands were tied!

Then, without warning, the bandit plunged his knife into the infant's groin and forced it down, effectively killing and splitting the poor baby in half.

While the bandits laughed like they had won, Frost and his men were looking at the corpses. They could barely contain their rage at this. They may have killed but never NEVER would they kill innocent children!

These bastards didn't just made this personal, they made this extremely personal.

Frost stood from his cover and walked to the front followed by Kyle, Ackerman, Williams, Kowalski, Davis, Rory, Lelei, and Tuka. This would not go unpunished.

"Motherfuckers." Davis growled, his trigger finger itching for some blood. "We're gonna make them pay for this."

This was even more personal for the two women in Frost's command because these babies could've been theirs. And Rory? She can never have children of her own. Lelei and Tuka had their own reasons to be royally pissed.

The bandits finally stopped laughing and just smiled. Easy prey and they were ready to get some payback. But before they could charge, something flew overhead.

Civilians and Marauders alike looked up and their eyes grew wide as plates at what they saw. There were two giant flying birds or dragons flying overhead. And flying very fast.

Recon Team 1 didn't have to look because they already knew what those things were. Reinforcements.

"RT 1 Actual, this is Odin 1-1. Flight of two A-10s fully loaded and in position to provide close air support. Over."

Frost calmly placed his finger to his earpiece while still glaring at the stunned marauders. "Odin 1-1, solid copy. Be advised, friendlies inside of structure, I say again, friendlies inside the walls. Anything outside it is fair game. You are cleared hot. Send them all to hell."

The two A-10s circled back around for a clear gun run. "Roger. Circling back around to commence gun run, heading South to North. Don't worry boys, the cavalry's here." Flying at low altitude and reducing speed, the two aircrafts raced to their targets. "1-2, let's get 'em."

"Roger. Odin 1, let's give 'em a show." They flipped the switch and now, the dreaded GAU-8 Auto cannon was operational. The two pilots squeezed the trigger. "Guns, guns, guns."

The air cannons let loose a three second burst of their payload and the 30mm tank killer rounds punched right through flesh and bone and reduced them to mush before giving out its iconic roar of the gun.

"BBRRRRRRRRTTT!"

The A-10s pulled up so they can circle back around for another pass but the damage they dealt was devastating.

When the shells hit home, there was nothing left to even be considered a corpse. They lived up to their names as one of the most feared aircrafts ever built.

 _"What the hell is that?!"_

 _"A dragon?!_

 _"Shoot them down! Kill them!"_

The marauders scattered like ants, trying to either escape or bring the two birds down. Inside the gate, RT 1 still kept a cold visage not even bothering to cheer. When the marauders inside tried to escape, Frost wouldn't let them.

"Strykers, block the entrance. None of them leaves here alive."

The Bushmasters unloaded on the entrance and it came crashing down on some poor bastard. The marauders, seeing as their escape was blocked, looked back and actually started to feel fear now.

No matter what, they would leave here in pieces.

"Oh shit, 2, I think you got that guy right between the eyes. Circling back around for a second pass."

"Hehe, copy that. Arming AGMs."

The two A-10 lined up for another run at a large cluster of hostiles trying to flee or shoot them down with their pathetic arrows. "Heh, can you believe these fucks?"

"Yeah, let's give 'em some our own brand of a warm welcome." Odin 1-2 and 1-1 acquired a lock for their missiles. "Target locked, missiles away."

From their wings, four AGMs came to life and raced towards the group of hostiles. The resulting explosion was nothing short of spectacular but they weren't done yet.

"Got stragglers, releasing dumb bombs." Odin 1 and 2 released three HE bombs down upon the marauders that quickly finished them off.

"Enemies on horseback trying to flee." Odin 2 relayed to Odin 1 and saw a fairly large group of hostiles hauling ass out of here. Not a chance in hell. But before they can finish them off, they were hailed.

"Odin units, this is Colonel Hendricks. These guys are running right into our guns, we got them. Break off." The two pilots knew who this was. Colonel Hendricks was the commander of the task force assigned with securing and occupying Italica. The task force was a joint venture of the 82nd Airborne Division's Combat Aviation Brigade, the 75th Ranger Regiment's 1st Battalion, and the 10th Mountain Division's Brigade Combat Team 1. They supported by five M1A2 Abrams tanks.

"Roger, Odin 1 and 2 are aborting pursuit. They're all yours, sir. Good luck, out."

Colonel Hendricks couldn't help but chuckle from his Bradley. "We don't need luck, we have guns."

Just then, one of the five tanks under his command radioed that the enemy was in range and Hendricks went serious. "All call signs, go ahead and smoke 'em."

In the span of thirty seconds of continues fire from M1A2 Abrams tanks, M3A3 Bradley's, L-ATVs, Apaches, Little Birds, and Black Hawks, what remained of the hostile force was reduced to chunks of meat and hundreds of craters. Nothing was left of them.

"Sir, all targets neutralized."

Colonel Hendricks huffed. This was too easy it almost made him want to go home. But he had his orders and that was to get their boys safe and sound, and secure Italica. Besides, this was war. And they just picked a fight the wrong superpower.

"Copy all. Ballista 1, you and the rest of the birds go ahead and sweep the area for any stragglers. I want boots on the ground now and confirm that our guys are still alive."

"Ballista 1 copies. All air elements, move out." Two Apache attack choppers led the way as six Black Hawks followed close behind. They were from the 82nd Airborne Division's Combat Aviation Brigade, 1st and 2nd Battalion.

Frost and his men were still staring down these animals with cold merciless eyes. They wanted to end them badly and Frost would give his squad the pleasure but before he could give the order, the familiar sounds our rotor blades were heard not too far.

From the smoke, emerged two Apaches and took up positions to engage the remaining enemy force that was inside the gate. "Recon Team 1, Ballista 2-3 and 2-6. See you got tangos by the gate, advise you to clear the out and we'll take care of the rest." They readied their two cannons but Frost wouldn't let them.

"That won't be necessary, 2-3. These guys are _mine_."

Both the pilot and gunner of the two Apache Longbows were taken aback by the officer on the ground. "Sir?"

"You heard me, soldier. Sweep the surrounding area for any more hostiles. My guys got this covered."

"...Understood. Damn, these guys must've really pissed you off." The two Apache pilots start to pull away.

"You have no idea."

When the Apaches left to continue their sweep, Frost refocused his attention on the nervous looking marauders. "LT, orders." Kowalski said, eager to get payback and his commander did not disappoint.

"Ready." They entire squad cocked their weapons, Rory gathered her enormous strength, Lelei prepared a very deadly spell, and Tuka aimed an arrow and began to mutter words. "Aim." Now, all weapons were trained on the desperate looking bandits. "Fire."

And just like that, the marauders were no more. The combined firepower of US personnel, Rory's halberd, Lelei and Tuka's magic literally destroyed every bit of them.

When it was done and the smoke cleared, the entrance was clear of rubble and reinforcements were coming in. It was a victory but it was bitter sweet.

Frost sighed. He did not expected for this to go so far but they forced his hand. If this is what people live here every godforsaken day then he was glad he presented command with the information on Italica General Morrison to get the people on their side. The civilians here were better off in US hands than these Empire shits.

The wind started to pick up and he looked up to see the welcome sight of a Black Hawk chopper overhead. Ropes were dropped and from the chopper were six US armed personnel.

As far as Frost and his squad was concerned, it was over for now. Now priority was to secure the perimeter and get some of these people some much needed help.

While on top of the hill was Princess Pina and her two remaining knights. She had a look of shock and a little bit of fear at what was hovering over the East gate and the smoldering fields.

" _What in the name of the gods are these things?"_ She muttered in shock as more of these…iron Pegasus.

Was this the true power of the US Army? A thousand men, reduced to ash. The once fertile fields, destroyed under their awesome might.

" _Y-Your majesty? T-There's more of them."_ Hamilton pointed a shaky finger to the horizon and Pina and Grey could only stare with wide eyed awe. Over the horizon were hundred on even stranger metal carts thundering over the land towards them.

Then a thought hit her. A thought that made the blood run dry from her face. Overwhelming power comparable to the gods, strange lights that illuminate the darkness of the night.

They US wasn't going to war with the Empire, because they were already at war with each other.

" _Gods help us."_

US forces were now securing the perimeter and rounding up the surviving bandits who surrendered while dispatching those who wouldn't.

While in the town, some of the soldiers were helping out in clearing the debris and moving the dead. When they saw the bodies of the women and torn up infants, they felt it was the right thing to bury them. It was the least they could do.

A field hospital was set up to treat the wounded civvies. Most of the, were pretty banged up but with modern healthcare provided by the medics, most of them would survive. And Italica was very grateful to them.

Recon Team 1 helped however they can to speed things up. Ackerman ad Kyle were tending to the injured in the makeshift field hospital while the rest were on clean up duty.

Frost however was with Colonel Hendricks after being called up to the mansion for 'negotiations'. What's there to negotiate anyway? With him was Lelei so she can translate because he was getting tired, Tuka, and Rory because they had nothing better to do.

On the two thrones were Countess Myui and Princess Pina who looked a little wary. Frost smirked from under his balaclava. The message was sent loud and clear.

In front of them was the girl who rudely cut Frost off yesterday. Hamilton was it? And she was reading the terms of bullshit.

As Hamilton was reading the privileges of the US, Princess Pina's mind was going overdrive. From what she had seen only a few hours earlier, the US Army was a force that the Empire had no hope of ever overcoming.

True, the Empire had the numbers, but the US had power beyond anything she had ever seen. Iron dragons, iron Pegasus, iron elephants; no wonder the Empire's army was swiftly and systematically slaughtered.

If the US set its sights in taking Italica…Pina could see herself and Countess Myui in chains as prisoners.

Pina gritted her teeth. She had no way out of this. Her knights were not here and she doubted they could stand half a chance. Pina had no choice, if the US demanded their surrender, she may have to get down on her knees and beg for mercy.

She looked at the commander and then to Frost. Their clothes may be similar but their obviously of different rank.

For the most part, the commander of the US force had agreed to the terms presented, even going as far as to let them decide the fate of the prisoners but asked to take some of their own to which Myui and Pina agreed on. _'At least they agreed on everything we're offering them. There may be hope yet.'_

Things were going smoothly until they came to this.

" _Now, all that's left is the military withdrawal from Italica."_ That had caught their undivided attention.

"Denied." Colonel Hendricks said that the three women didn't understand so Lelei translated for him.

" _He said they won't agree to the withdrawal."_ Over the course of her stay at Italica, Lelei had gathered sufficient knowledge about the English language so she can translate but with limited vocabulary.

Rory almost burst out laughing at the Princess' face.

Pina felt as if a sword had chopped off her head. Her worst fears were coming true, Italica was going to be occupied. A single bead of sweat ran down from her face. _"W-What are you..?"_

Frost turned to Col. Hendricks. "Sir, may I be the one to explain to the Princess?" He requested and Col. Hendricks agreed, seeing as his language here was still in the works.

" _We know that Italica is a major economic and commercial center for the region and the Empire relies on it for money and supplies, making it a prime strategic target. So we decided to occupy it as per our superior's orders."_

Pina was panicking in her mind. What was she going to do?! She had to persuade them to leave peacefully but she had nothing to offer them now but she had to try. _"Please, reconsider-"_

" _No, this isn't up for negotiation. Our orders are clear – occupy Italica. And let's be real here, the Colonel brought two battalions worth of soldiers and equipment only to be just sent back to base empty handed? Who do you think we are some idiot who reads manga every day?"_

Somewhere in Japan, a thirty something man who was reading the latest issue of Meicom suddenly sneezed.

Pina bowed her head in defeat. There was no way out of this. No way could she oppose them now, not when Italica had accepted the US as their saviors. And if she did try to resist, she would be quickly put down.

" _I…I accept your terms."_ Princess Pina said through gritted teeth as a single tear escaped her eyes.

Italica has fallen.

 _ **ITALICA SITUATION RESOLVED. UPON ACQUIRING VALUABLE INTEL AND RELAYING TO COMMAND, LT. FROST REQUESTED GROUND SUPPORT. GEN. MORRISON, HAVING LEARNED THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ITALICA, ORGANIZED A JOINT TASK FORCE COMPRISING OF THE 82**_ _ **ND**_ _ **AIRBORNE DIVISION, 10**_ _ **TH**_ _ **MOUNTAIN DIVISION, AND 75**_ _ **TH**_ _ **RANGER REGIMENT TO SECURE AND TAKE ITALICA. RECON TEAM 1 HELD OUT LONGE ENOUGH FOR AIR SUPPORT TO ARRIVE AND DECIMATE ENEMY POSITIONS. FLEEING HOSTILE FORCES WERE SWIFTLY DESTROYED BY THE GROUND FORCE. OPERATION SUCCESS.**_

 _ **ITALICA IS NOW UNDER US CONTROL.**_

 _ **REPORT COMPLETE**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**GATE: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri and Call of Duty crossover.**_

"Oscar Mike" - English

 _'Oscar Mike' - Thoughts_

 _"Oscar Mike" - Whatever language these people speak_

 _ **AN: Yo, there fellow readers and writers. Just wanna say thanks for your support for this story. It just kinda popped out of my head when playing COD MW3 again and then I saw this anime and manga. When I saw it, it was good but let's be real, no nation in the world would even do the things the JSDF did in the manga. And seeing as the US is attacked, they're gonna want blood.**_

 _ **Also, special shoutout to Thaqif (BTW tone down the reviews), Trainalf, the renegade soldier, Mandalore the freedom, and basically everyone who has read and reviewed my story so thanks to all of you.**_

 _ **Stay safe out there and stay frosty. Knight, out.**_

 _ **Chapter VIII – Outrage**_

This was it. The military occupation of Italica has officially begun and Pina knew she couldn't do a damn thing about it. Not by talks, not by force, and certainly not by her charm.

She failed as a princess and as a knight in her eyes.

Princess Pina, Countess Myui, Hamilton, Grey, and the rest of Italica would become slaves and prisoners to the US. The town would be dominated by their soldiers, the citizens forced to slavery. The men be executed, the women as sex slaves, and the children would suffer worse. Those things happened a lot when an army occupies a city.

But those things didn't happen to Italica.

Unlike what Pina had thought, the US Army was actually doing more good than harm. From clearing the rubble from the battle just a few hours ago and helping the injured civilians to burying the dead.

If that wasn't enough, they also raised their flag – red white and blue in color and many stars at the upper left half – alongside Italica's. This signifies that Italica wasn't just under their rule, Italica was also under their care.

And the people were welcoming them with open arms. Grateful at their saviors.

Pina and her knights watched from afar as US soldiers were doing what they can to help. It confused them. Why would they go through all of this trouble when subjugating the populace would be so much better and easier? Victorious, yes, but this day didn't belong to the Empire, this day was won by the US Army and Rory Mercury.

After burying Norma, she explained everything to Grey and he was no more pleased than her. Without Italica, the Empire's power would be diminished. But he didn't expect that this army or any other army for that matter to help the town they occupied.

In all his years with the Empire, every town they had ever occupied was subjugated to their rule either by reason or brutal force.

But the US Army was making leaps and bounds to get the inhabitants' trust. A stark contrast to the ruthless and brutal efficiency they displayed mere hours ago. If what the princess said was true that Arnus Hill was occupied by the US Army and the Empire is at war with. Grey could see where this war would go for the Empire.

Complete and total annihilation.

Frost was walking along the outer walls of what would soon become the Italica garrison, now designated as Fire Base Iowa. This would serve as both a forward base and provide fire support missions on targets deep behind enemy lines.

The walls were mostly intact save for a few cracks but those can be fixed and reinforced easily. Since the occupation began, Col. Hendricks was finalizing the finer details of the occupation to Countess Myui and her representatives like the rules and regulations. But the Italica VIPs were a bit shocked to learn that they were still in power concerning the civilian affairs and keeping their lands, but if it came to military matters, the US had supreme authority no questions asked.

Though it sounded too good to be true, the VIPs agreed to the terms which were a lot better than they would've ever hoped.

Defensive positions and emplacements were being set up and the rehabilitation and conversion of Italica has been running smoothly with the inhabitants more than willing to participate.

The field hospital was loaded with the wounded but most of them were going to make a full recovery in a few short months in what would've taken years thanks to the experienced medics. This act alone put the US in a much higher regard to the people of Italica and this wasn't including all the deeds the soldiers were doing.

Most of the birds in the Task Force were ordered back to base as Italica was not yet established to house and maintain air assets and brought with them the prisoners for questioning. Most of them were females because Frost and the Colonel already had an idea about what was going to happen to them if they left them here.

RT 1 had been given orders to RTB a few minutes ago by Overlord for debriefing. So Frost had his team prepare for the trip back while Lelei, Rory, and Tuka went off to sell the scales as originally intended.

While the preparations were being made, Frost was catching up with an old friend.

"How come you get all the good assignments?" Sgt. Foley asked as the two Special Forces officers surveyed the defenses.

"Not my fault. This was supposed to be just a recon mission and escort the three to sell those damn scales. Not this shitstorm." Frost defended and Foley chuckled as they reached two Abrams tanks dug in by the East gate.

"By the way, where are they anyway?"

"Selling those scales to the merchants still alive. Heard they're worth a lot of money." Foley nodded and took off his helmet and Frost did the same and removed his balaclava. "Heard you and Rangers are Recon Team 3. That true?" The Delta operator asked and Foley nodded with a smirk and drank from his canteen.

"Affirmative. Simple set up, three victors, about eleven personnel. Mission directives the same as yours, except a whole lot more boring." Foley gave Frost the canteen and he accepted it with a nod and took a swig at it. "Pretty uneventful except for meeting up with the locals and the occasional skirmish with hostiles. But we had a run in with that Flame Dragon of yours." That got Frost's attention.

That dragon was bad news. It took the Bushmasters to drive that thing off and almost took Frost and his team out. "Any casualties?"

Thankfully, Foley shook his head. "From our side, no. But a number of civvies got eaten at a village we were just about to reach. We managed to blow the bastard's arm off with a SMAW and force it out of the area."

Frost expression became serious. That flying lizard was becoming a major problem. "Sooner or later, we're gonna have to deal with that thing. Does Command know about this?"

"Yeah, Command recognizes the threat it poses and are forming up a plan to take it out." Foley said and Frost nodded.

"What do you think, Sarge? Would a couple of Stingers do the trick?"

Foley shook his head in the negative. "No, Stingers only carry explosive warheads and can't punch through heavy armor. Our eggheads back home say that those scales are almost as tough as tungsten."

"Damn." Frost cursed under his breath. No wonder his fifties were just bouncing off that thing. It was like firing pellet guns to a damn tank. "We're gonna need something with a lot more punch then. The only thing we had to actually penetrating those scales were the Bushmasters and we aimed for its weak spots. What about anti-tank weapons? Didn't you say you took its arm off with a SMAW?"

"Yeah, but we got lucky that time and our victors were keeping it distracted. Javelins might do the trick. A few missiles to the bastard's head and we can call it a day. Maybe a small team can lase it for fast movers rain down heavy."

Then Frost had an idea. "What about Tomahawk Cruise Missiles? They'd definitely get the job done."

Foley looked at him with a smirk. "That's overkill and you know it, Frost." He chuckled.

"There's no such thing as overkill when you're in the US Military."

"Ain't that the truth."

Frost was about to continue with the conversation when his comms flared to life. "This is Frost, I read ya' five by five."

"LT, Kowalski here. The victors are all set and the girls are back with bags of dough. Waiting on you so we can go home."

"Roger that. Be with you in a couple of mikes." Frost replied.

"Solid copy. And sir...about those..."

Frost had to stop from rolling his eyes from what his subordinate was going to say next. "For the last time, Sergeant, when we get back to the base, we're getting those new L-ATVs. So stop bugging me about it."

"Yes, sir!" The comms closed down and Frost let out a sigh.

"Looks like your guys are waiting for you, sir." Foley said and grabbed his helmet. "You better get going because Command's gonna wanna know everything that's happened here."

"Roger that." Frost put his balaclava and helmet back on and gave Sgt. Foley a firm handshake. "See ya' around, sir. And keep Dunn and Ramirez out of trouble here, you know how they get with girls."

Foley chuckled, agreeing with the Lieutenant. "Don't worry, sir. Those two will have an ass kicking waiting for them if they ever do that."

Frost chuckled and the two soldiers went their separate ways. Foley with his unit and Frost with his own. As he was walking back to the victors, he caught sight of the makeshift graveyard not a few meters away. The place where they buried the mangled corpses of the infants and their mothers.

Damn, none of them deserved that. But there was nothing he can do for them now, but at least they'll be able to rest easy now that he blew the ones that killed them straight to hell.

"Sir, we're ready to go on your word." Kowalski said, leaning on the hood of his Humvee as Frost neared his squad.

"Okay, is everyone accounted for?" Frost took a look at the back and saw Rory, Lelei, and Tuka sleeping soundly. "They're here."

"Yes, sir. Everyone's accounted for and ready to move out." Williams said over the comms and Frost nodded. Time to head home.

"All right, mount up." Kowalski and Frost mounted the victors and started up the engines as did the others. "Moses 1, be advised, RT 1 is Oscar Mike."

Colonel Hendricks got the message from the command vehicle and pressed the button to give his permission. "RT 1, Moses 1,you are cleared to move out. Go home and get some chow and rest, God knows you guys earned it."

Frost and his squad had no arguments there. "Copy." Switching off the comms, Frost gave the order to move out. "Move out."

Kowalski lead the convoy out of the gates as the civilians waved goodbye at them. "Well, look at that. We're heroes."

"Don't let it go to your head, Kowalski." Tucker chuckled as they rode out back to Fort Arnus.

"Hey, LT. You got a good look at those, uh, half animal girls? They look kinda hot to me." Davis said after a few minutes of driving.

"Ha, oh yeah. I wouldn't mind getting to know them a little better." Jackson chuckled. "What about you, LT? They sexy to you?"

Frost sighed. "Not gonna lie." The first time he saw those half animal maids was when he first came to the mansion for the briefing. Thankfully, his balaclava hid his surprise from the others. But if he had to say it, they were indeed blistering hot and had sizable racks.

"Kinda makes you think how they ended up like that, you know." Kowalski thought out loud and the rest of the squad imagined the possibilities. Needless to say, the whole squad shuddered at the first idea that came to mind.

"Not cool, man. Not cool."

"Aw, that's sick, Kowalski!"

"You gotta stop watching those fucking hentai shits, bro."

"Hey, I don't watch them!" Kowalski protested for the last one.

While this was going on, Ackerman and Kyle shook their heads. "Boys will be boys." The two muttered at the same time before going about their business, not really interested in this.

Frost remained silent, not really in the mood for this and even though they were well inside US territory now that Italica was theirs, he can't risk being caught off guard. "Cut the chatter and scan your sectors."

The little argument between Kowalski and the squad ceased and acknowledged their commander's orders. "Uh, the area's clear, sir. Not a single hostile in sight."

"Just keep your eyes open. We may have taken Italica but we're still establishing air and ground dominance in the region." Frost said.

"Roger that."

The ride back to base was was mostly quiet with the occasional talk here and there. And most of these talks were about the maids back at Italica. Much to Frost's amusement and annoyance.

"Okay, okay. How 'bout the, uh, bunny girl?" Tucker asked.

"Three words, sexy as hell." Jackson stated with a chuckle. "What about the cat girl?"

Kowalski answered that one. "Grade A hotness. And c'mon, she's part cat so that means she'll just wanna press up against ya' and rub those big round juicy-"

"Well, well, looks like old Kowalski like the little pussycat." Davis added teasingly but his response was not what he expected from the Sergeant.

"Haha, you got that right! Hey, LT, after the get back to base, any chance I can get a three day pass?" Kowalski asked, looking hopeful at his commander.

"Denied." Frost said neutrally and the driver cursed.

"Oh c'mon, sir."

Frost looked at him and Kowalski knew this was not in for negotiations so he begrudgingly accepted it. Besides, there were still plenty of chances to get back to Italica.

Williams thanked God that it was finally over and so did Frost, Ackerman, and Kyle. Make no mistake, the rest of the squad were very good but just like Ackerman and Kyle said, boys will be boys.

Looking over his instruments, Williams could see no anomalies for now and they still had several clicks before reaching Fort Arnus. But just before he could check the other detection systems, the radar pinged to life and he was instantly on it.

On the screen was a rather small blip indicating that whatever this was, it was small in size or numbers. And it was heading directly for them. "Sir, I got a hit on the scanners. About four clicks from our current position" Williams reported to his commander.

"I know." Frost responded as he ordered the convoy to stop and saw a dust cloud about a few clicks away heading towards his squad. "Tucker, do you have eyes on?"

Tucker already had his binoculars out and was trying to identify the incoming presence. "I have, but I can't identify the subjects. Too much smoke and dust to PID."

Frost nodded and turned to wake up the girls. Rory groaned in annoyance at having her sleep interrupted as did Lelei, and Tuka. _"What is it?"_

 _"Shake it off, we may have a probable combat situation."_ He informed them and the girls looked at the front to see a rapidly approaching dust cloud.

 _"Who are those?"_ Tuka asked as Frost and Kowalski looked through their own binoculars.

The subject, or rather subjects, in question was a small group of armored women and men riding on horseback and making their way towards Recon Team 1.

Frost gave his binoculars to Lelei and she mimicked how Frost did it by putting the device in front of her eyes. _"I'd say their numbers are relatively small."_ Lelei passed it onto Tuka.

 _"And they're getting closer."_ The elf girl stated nervously as another confrontation was a possibility and passed the binoculars to a grinning Rory only for her to frown.

 _"Aw, they're so far away."_ She whined and Frost looked at her and saw that the binoculars were in reverse. Saying nothing, he reached out and turned the binoculars backwards. Rory just tilted her head and looked through the binoculars again before regaining her gleeful smile. _"Oh, nevermind."_

Frost gave out a grunt before turning serious as this was a probable combat situation with hostiles. "All units, RT 1 Actual. Be advised, possible hostiles sighted about three clicks from our position and are closing fast."

The reaction was quick and fluid-like as weapons, both small and heavy, were readied for a fight. "Rules of engagement, sir." Scarlet said.

"ROE is as follows, no one fires unless provoked. I'd like to avoid any unnecessary conflict for now and I doubt they'd know a thing about Italica. Let's give them a chance to walk away free and clear."

"Understood. And if they do engage?"

"We tried diplomacy." Call it payback for shooting at his team. "But as much as possible, minimize casualties."

About five minutes of waiting, the group of knights had finally reached RT 1's current location and they were eying the strange group with suspicion and confusion.

"Sir, two of them are moving forward." Tucker said.

"Roger, everyone stay put. Let them come to us." Frost ordered. He wasn't going to take any chances. The winner is always the one who has all the chips at his side.

A short-haired woman with silver hair and a blonde haired one approached the lead Humvee with careful steps as the rest of their force hung back just in case.

 _"Bozes, who do you think they are?"_ The silver haired girl asked the blonde now named Bozes.

Bozes shrugged but didn't take her eyes off of the strange group. _"I don't know, they may be a group of mercenaries or soldiers. We won't know until we ask them, Panache."_

Coming alongside the strange carts, the two young knights hid their confusion behind a strong front. They looked at those within and saw three men in the first cart. One was poking out of the roof holding a long metal…thing while the two were inside.

They wore such strange articles of clothing and they weren't sure if these were a new kind. Maybe a new kind of armor considering these men were probably soldiers.

" _Where have you come from, noble men?"_ Panache demanded more than asked. Typical Imperial behavior.

Kowalski understood her and looked at his commander who nodded while keeping his finger on the trigger. _"Um, we came from Italica."_

Panache and Bozes narrowed their eyes at these men. They came from Italica, then why were they all the way out here? Were these the enemy? _"And where do you plan on going?"_ This time, Bozes demanded to the masked man.

Frost already knew these two suspected something so he had two options. One, he tell them the truth and the knights attack. The Delta operator was confident that his squad can pull through, but he can't guarantee that some of them will survive; not to mention a big pain in the ass. Two, he lies and tell them his squad was just passing through Italica and on the way to a nearby village. Considering they buy it, they would move on to the town and see it already occupied and attack the US forces stationed there. It would be a bloodbath.

" _We are returning to Arnus Hill."_ That set them off and as expected, the two drew their weapons and pointed at US personnel and the rest of their knights followed suit.

" _WHAT?! THE ENEMY FROM THE OTHERWORLD!"_

When Panache and Bozes heard that these people were going to Italica, they quickly assumed that these were the enemy from the otherworld and sprung to action. _"Surrender or we will kill you!"_

Frost sighed, he already knew this was going to go down this way and he turned to the blonde drill hair. _"I don't take orders from you."_ His tone spoke with authority.

Bozes lost her temper and made a move to strike at the masked man. _"Silence!"_ But before her hand can make contact, the man caught it with his own. She glared at him but saw no eyes, just her reflection.

Frost held the armored hand that was about to strike him. They deliberately attacked an officer of the United States Army and Frost was entitled to retaliate.

"Take them down."

In Italica, several hours had passed and Princess Pina was in her office without her armor. She was trying to figure out what she was going to do. What was she going to report back to her father?

Tell him that one of the towns that the Empire relies on for its economy and supplies has just been taken and is now occupied by the enemy from beyond the gate? She'll become a laughing stock in front of the Senate!

And knowing her father and most of the Senate, they'll probably send in thousands of troops to retake Italica. They didn't know what kind of enemy they were facing, but Pina knew.

An enemy who has the power to dominate the skies above, to shake the very ground with its movement, to destroy anything in its path without mercy or compassion. If the Empire did send an army, Pina already knew the outcome.

A massacre.

And besides…WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WOULD BELIEVE THIS SHIT WHEN EVEN SHE COULDN'T BELIEVE IT?!

Pina raked her hands through her red hair in frustration. There was no way she can kick the US out of Italica, it was just impossible. And they have already won over the people of Italica including Countess Myui.

If she tried anything, she'll be executed no matter what her rank is. An enemy is an enemy in their eyes and she and her knights were only alive due to that Frost character.

' _Frost.'_ She thought in anger and a little bit of respect. That masked man was an enigma to her, she didn't even know what he looked like but she knew he was one of those who will do whatever it took to achieve his goals. And he was fully capable in doing it. He was merciless when it came to his enemies.

But there was something about the enigmatic commander. He was obviously an experienced soldier and commander. He had the loyalty of his men, and was respected if how that Colonel Hendricks treated him was any indications. And for the lack of better terms, didn't take shit from anybody.

How she wished she was like that.

But before she could divulge any further about Italica, there was a knock on her door. _"Come in."_ The doors opened. It was only Grey.

The veteran soldier bowed and straitened up. _"Your majesty, the US has requested your presence at the West gate."_

Pina straightened up. _"Is there a problem?"_

Grey shook his head. _"No, just said they want down there."_

Pina was never one to admit it but she was a little scared. What was going on? Why did the US want her attention all of a sudden? But she was not going to make them wait.

Nodding, she stood up and donned her armor, admittedly curious on what did the US wanted.

The walk to the West gate was…surreal. Like the town was never attacked in the first place. Soldiers and civilians alike rebuilding the ruined homes and structures, children playing in the streets, Pina just didn't know what the US was thinking.

They were wasting precious resources just for this?

She was flanked by her two knights, Grey and Hamilton as they trotted their way to the gate.

Finally, she was at the West gate and she could feel the high tension in the air. In front of her was the masked man, Frost himself and he was talking to Colonel Hendricks. The two of them were not pleased.

 _"Her highness, Princess Pina has come!"_ Hamilton announced and Pina flinched once the two men's eyes turned to her. _'Hamilton, you stupid idiot.'_

Colonel Hendricks was not happy. Not happy at all. When he just got back from that meeting up in the mansion, he went to the command vehicle to report back to Overlord.

Just as he was about to, the radio went alive and said that Recon Team 1 was coming back. It was odd to say the least. The team had been given orders to RTB so why were they coming hack?

He met the team by the West gate and once he saw the condition Frost was in, he scowled. The Lieutenant had some wounds and slash marks on his person. His team dismounted and saw that some of them were in similar conditions.

The Colonel asked for a sitrep and Frost relayed to him everything. To say he was pissed was an understatement.

After what seemed like hours, Hendricks ordered the prisoners be brought out. Recon Team 1 and some of the stationed soldiers there opened the vehicles and dragged out the struggling knights.

 _"Unhand us! Fo you know who we are?!"_ Pina heard a very familiar voice and her eyes widened in shock at what she saw. Bozes, Panache, and the rest of her knights, beaten and bound by their hands, being dragged out of those carts and thrown unceremoniously in front of her.

Panache glared hate at these men. _"Bastards! The Empire will make you pay for this!"_ Instead of being slapped, the man in front of her just shook his head and left. Like she wasn't even worth the effort.

A huge blow to her noble pride.

Pina, Grey, and Hamilton could only watch as their fellow knights were laid out in front of them. Most of them had injuries, some minor and severe.

 _"Are these your knights?"_ Averting her eyes from her knights, Pina could feel the fire now.

She shakily nodded her head. _"They have engaged US military personnel without provocation. And as of now, are under arrest under our jurisdiction."_ Pina and her knights eyes widened in shock at this.

Her knights under arrest as prisoners?! No, she can't have that! Pina had to do something!

 _"No! Please, reconsider. I'm sure we can-"_ Whatever Pina was going to say got caught up in her throat when Frost looked at her.

 _"Shut up."_ His word final and turned to Colonel Hendricks. "Sorry for the inconvenience, sir."

The Colonel nodded. "None taken, now you and your boys go and get patched up. I'll notify Overlord about this. Men, prepare them for transport!" Col. Hendricks ordered and US soldiers began to take them away.

Pina could only watch as her knights were taken prisoner. She clenched her fists at what was happening.

One knight, a young man, watched at the enemy commander who defeated them turn away and walk. Rage started building up inside him, how dare this bastard do this to him. He was a knight!

Once was hoisted to his feet, he knocked the soldier away, reached for the knife in his boot, and made a dash for the dark soldier with the intent to ram the blade through his eye. _"Die, you bastard!"_

Frost heard the shout and turned around to see a hostile running at him with a blade only a few feet away. His instincts took over and he caught the blade in his hand, impaling his palm.

Suppressing the pain, he used the momentum to flip the man to the ground with an audible thud and pulled out his sidearm. Frost aimed his weapon at his attacker's head. _"You first."_

Pina knew what was going to happen next. _"STOP!"_

"BANG!"

The gun fired and just like that, the man was dead with a hole right between his eyes. The rest of his team was by his side in seconds.

"Sir, are you hurt?" Scarlet asked.

Frost held up his hand that had the knife sticking out of it. "What do you think?" He asked sarcastically before pulling it out with a grunt.

Rory saw the whole thing. When she saw one of the knights they had captured broke free and ran at Frost, she felt worried and almost barreled her way in an effort to stop it. Lelei and Tuka felt the same way but before they could do anything, Frost took care of it and executed his attacker.

She felt that he had handled it. And a little hot how he handled it.

Lelei came forward and took Frost's hands into her own and began muttering. Frost was a little confused until his hand glowed and the puncture wound gone. Well, that's magic for ya'.

"Thank you."

The mage nodded with a ghost of a smile and moved to his side as activity was abuzz around the yard. That little incident was enough to set the US soldiers off and surrounded the terrified knights with weapons hot.

Pina, Grey, and Hamilton had already gotten a taste of what the US was willing to do if provoked, but the Order? They thought war was all about glory, honor, and the like. Going into battle and be confident about winning.

But that all changed at what they had just witnesses. Panache and Bozes looked at one of their knights who lay motionless on the ground in a pool of his own blood. He didn't die with honor and glory, he died like an animal.

They shuddered to think what would happen to them. And that didn't help when more soldiers had surrounded them with their weapons. All of whom look ready to kill them in a heartbeat.

Colonel Hendricks would love nothing more than to let him men gun these animals down on the spot but Frost had told him the possibility of them having valuable intel. Names, locations, anything. And considering they were 'nobles' helped that they knew some HVT in this theater.

"Detain them for now. I want them prepped and be ready for transport back to base. We'll squeeze what intel these bastards have to the last drop."

"Yes, sir!" The US soldiers hauled the frightened knights away for temporary detention and Hendricks glared at the so called princess.

"You, me and the Lieutenant are gonna have a little chat." He all but growled and walked off to where Frost and his team went.

Pina didn't understand what he was saying, but she just knew she was going to pay for this.

Two hours had passed and once again, Frost found himself in the throne room in Italica. With him was Colonel Hendricks, Lelei, and a small group of Rangers. And they were facing Princess Pina who looked even paler by the second. Countess Myui was excused as this didn't concern her.

"What do have to say for yourself?" Hendricks demanded.

" _The Colonel says, explain the actions of your subordinates."_ Lelei translated to the best of her ability.

Pina was sweating bullets that much Frost could tell. _"Y-You must understand. They have not been informed of Italica being under your control…a-and maybe Frost had provoked them into-"_

" _Cut the bullshit."_ Frost growled, earning the attention of everyone. _"I ordered my guys to stand down and let them pass. But they engaged us. You're lucky I let most of them live and bring their worthless corpses here."_

Lelei also agreed with the masked commander and looked at the princess with contempt. She can attest to Frost's statement that he and his squad had indeed stood down and was more than willing to avoid conflict, but no. Imperial pride and idiocy won out on practical reason.

Col. Hendricks shook his head in disgust. "I don't want to hear your damn excuses. Here's the deal, your knights are now our prisoners and seeing as they engaged US personnel on grounds that made no sense, they are to be detained and interrogated."

" _The Colonel says that, your knights are now their prisoners to be interrogated."_

Pina's eyes widened in horror. _"Please, they had no idea what they were doing!"_ She pleaded. _"Please, I can give you two of them as concubines or maybe-"_

" _STOP RIGHT THERE!"_ Frost roared, startling those with him. Did he just hear that right? Was she going to sell her own subordinates as…concubines?! What the fuck!

"What did she say?" Col. Hendricks wanted to know why Frost looked ready to kill all of a sudden. But by the looks of it, he won't like the answer.

Lelei looked at the Colonel. "She says she can give two of her knights as concubines."

Now it just turned ugly and Col. Hendricks' view on these fucks just went lower to the level of animals! What kind of person would sell their own subordinates as sex slaves just to save her own goddamn neck?!

Even the Rangers were disgusted.

"What the hell is wrong with this bitch?"

"Selling your own guys as a fuck toy? What kind of bullshit world is this?"

"This is some messed up shit. And those girls looked no older than my little sister, man."

Pina didn't know what she said, but it clearly made the two US soldiers very upset. Why, didn't they want a concubine or two?

" _You'd give your own knights as fucking slaves?"_ Frost said slowly as to make his point.

Pina nodded carefully. _"Y-Yes, it has always been done as an appeasement."_

Frost couldn't believe it! This bitch would just throw her own soldiers away as fucking sex slaves and for what, just to save your own goddamn skin?! Frost was actually glad he took these knights prisoner because most of them were young women and if they were captured by anyone else and this bitch makes this sick deal…

Frost and Col. Hendricks looked at each other and they knew what they had to do. In truth, Col. Hendricks had been waiting for a good reason to bring the princess in, now he had it. "Rangers, arrest her."

The US Army Rangers didn't need to be told twice as they marched up to the throne and restrained Princess Pina who was struggling to get free. _"W-WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!"_ Her cries fell on deaf ears as Col. Hendricks fired up his radio.

"All units, be advised. Watch out for the two remaining knights with Princess Pina. You are to detain them as they are now under arrest."

The Rangers took the writhing Pina away to be detained and it wasn't long until Grey and Hamilton joined her as well.

When Frost met up with his team, he told them everything. And they were just as disgusted as Frost was.

"Sons of bitches."

"Fucking animal shits"

"Should've shot her when I had the chance."

"At least we won't do that to them."

These were just a fraction of the outraged comments of Recon Team 1. And by extension, the entire force stationed at Italica.

Frost sighed while sitting in one of the beds inside of the makeshift barracks. He had reported Overlord of his absence and the capture of high value targets, as well as the slavery incident. Overlord acknowledged and had given Frost permission for him and his squad to rest up before they returned to base. A bird would be sent to Italica to airlift the prisoners to the Fort for questioning.

Frost looked at his sleeping squad. And then at the three girls with him. Then at Rory. Frost was not blind, he could see she was getting seductive with him but he mostly just ignored it.

And besides, it was…weird when someone looked like a kid was flirting with you. He didn't even know what her real age was.

Shaking his head, he laid down on his bed and drifting off to dreamless sleep.

 _ **US FORCES HAVE SECURED THE AREA AROUND ITALICA AND HAS BEGUN REBUILDING AND REPURPOSING ITALICA AS A FIRE SUPPORT BASE, DESIGNATION FIRE BASE IOWA. RECON TEAM 1 HAS BEEN GIVEN ORDERS TO RTB. A FEW CLICKS FROM FIRE BASE IOWA, RT 1 ENCOUNTERED IMPERIAL KNIGHTS UNDER THE COMMAND OF PRINCESS PINA. KNIGHTS APPEAR TO HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE ABOUT US PRESENCE AND LT. FROST MADE THE DECISION TO AVOID CONFLICT IF POSSIBLE. THE KNIGHTS ENGAGED AND RT 1 WAS FORCED TO RETALIATE. THOUGH SUFFERING ONLY MINOR INJURIES, RT 1 MANAGED TO SUBDUE MOST OF THE HOSTILES AND BROUGHT THEM BACK TO ITALICA. ONE MANAGED TO BREAK FREE AND ATTACKED LT. FROST WHO WAS INJURED BUT MANAGED TO TERMINATE THE ASSAILANT. IN THE MEETING WITH PRINCESS PINA, SHE HAD OFFERED SOME OF HER KNIGHTS AS SLAVES TO THE US COMMANDERS. DISGUSTED AND OUTRAGED AT THE TREATMENT OF HER OWN SUBORDINATES, COL. HENDRICKS ORDERED FOR HER IMMEDIATE ARREST. OVERLORD HAS BEEN INFORMED AND WILL SEND A CHINOOK TO PICK UP THE DETAINED KNIGHTS FOR INTEROGATION. RECON TEAM 1 HAS BEEN GIVEN PERMISSION TO STAY THE NIGHT AT FIRE BASE IOWA.**_

 _ **REPORT COMPLETE.**_


	9. Chapter 9

**_GATE: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri and Call of Duty crossover._**

"Oscar Mike" - English

 _'Oscar Mike' - Thoughts_

 _"Oscar Mike" - Whatever language these people speak_

 ** _Chapter IX – Dominance_**

In the bowels of Italica's dungeons were the Knights of the Rose Order. Battered, beaten, humiliated. They had lost the will to fight hours ago when the reality began to sink in.

They were prisoners now. And they know what happens to prisoners. Slavery, torture, and if they're lucky, maybe they'll get a quick death.

Panache and Bozes were nursing their wounds and bruises from the fight earlier. _"Dammit, what kind of weapons do they use?"_ The white haired knight ask to no one in particular as she held onto her wounded shoulder.

Bozes just gave a growl. _"Bastards, all of them. Why don't they just kill us now and be done with it."_

 _"They want us alive."_ One knight, a young woman hardly out of her teens, said as she sat by the corner. _"They want us as slaves…and considering most of us are women…"_ She left it hanging in the air. It didn't take a genius to figure out what she meant.

The female members of the orders knew all too well what happened to women who were taken prisoners. Raped countless times, tortured to insanity, beaten until unconsciousness, and if they were lucky, become a concubine or slave to someone who would buy them.

Just look at what happened when the Empire defeated the Warrior Bunnies.

Some of them whimpered as horrible images of them being held down, stripped naked, and robbed of their maidenhood loomed in their minds.

 _"_ _Cowards, all of you! And you call yourselves knights!"_ Bozes roared, disgusted at her fellow knights' spineless attitude. Though if one looked closely, there was a slight tremble in her hands.

At her roar, her sisters-in-arms flinched but who could blame them. It was how prisoners were treated here. Either you become an obedient slave to your master and spread your legs, or you die a horrible death.

It was just the way things were here and it wouldn't surprise the knights if this US did things similarly.

 _"_ _LET ME GO! YOU FUCKING BASTARDS, UNHAND ME AT ONCE!"_ Bozes, Panache and the knights turned at the commotion and their eyes widened in shock and horror.

What they saw was their princess and leader, Princess Pina Co Lada, , and an unconscious Grey and Hamilton being hauled up into the adjacent cell.

Panache and Bozes were instantly on the bars. _"Your highness!"_ They cried out and Pina snapped her head towards them.

 _"Bozes! Panache!"_ Before Pina could even continue, she was thrown into the cell along with Hamilton while Grey was thrown into another cell.

At this, the female knights realized what was going to happen. The princess and Hamilton were going to be raped right in front of them.

Like caged animals trying to escape, Bozes and Panache tried with all of their strength to break out of the cell. _"You bastards! Stay away from them!"_ Bozes exclaimed desperately.

 _"Don't touch them! If you want a whore then take me in her highness' place!"_ Panache felt like a lowly whore at what she said but this was for the princess. If her safety means that she has to spread her lets to every soldiers here then so be it!

The other knights just turned away and covered their ears to spare them the horrid scene that was going to play out, knowing full well that this would happen to them soon enough.

But to their shock, the soldiers just locked the cell doors and walked away just like that.

Panache and Bozes were surprised to see that. Why didn't they violate Princess Pina and Hamilton? It was strange because any other would gladly take two beautiful young women as slaves for the rest of their lives.

Princess Pina groaned as Hamilton helped her. _"Your majesty, are you all right?"_ She asked worriedly.

 _"I'm fine."_ Pina replied and the two saw their fellow knights by the adjacent cell and went to the bars.

 _"Your highness, what happened?"_ Bozes asked.

Pina had a look of shame, rage, and sadness. How could she be treated like this, she was a princess of the Empire! _"They imprisoned me, Hamilton, and Grey. They are going to take us to their fortress."_

 _"Then we will fight our way out! They merely caught us off guard!"_ Bozes voiced out and Pina glared at her.

 _"How can you not see? We stand no chance against them! If fifteen of you can't even take down ten of them, then how are we supposed to fight a whole army of them?!"_

 _"But why didn't they take you and Hamilton? Why didn't they turn us into their slaves?"_

Pina sighed. _"It would seem that they despise the idea of slavery. Much more for concubines."_ It still baffled her. Why didn't they want slaves and concubines as appeasement? It just didn't make sense.

At this, some of the female knights sighed in relief. But they were also curious as to why.

 _"But why?"_ One knight asked.

 _"I don't know. Not once did this happen before in the Empire's history._ "

As this was going on, the soldiers who took them here and guarding them heard all they were talking about. And quite frankly, they were disgusted and insulted.

"Goddammit, Ramirez." Sgt. Dunn growled. "They really fucking think we'd stoop that low? I mean, they look like kids to me."

Ramirez just huffed. "Crazy assholes. We don't do that kind of shit. We are not savages." It wasn't just a blow to them being soldiers, but also at their pride.

They were not fucking rapists.

"I hear ya', but is this what these guys live by everyday. Glad I was born in modern times." Dunn shook his head.

"Yeah, can't imagine living in a place and time like this. And I thought shit back home was fucked up."

Dunn and Ramirez along with five other Rangers were tasked in guarding the prisoners for the time being. They patrolled the cells to check on the knights who expected them to gloat, boast, and spit on their faces.

This just made them more annoyed than angry at the looks they were given but ignored it. Typical royalty ass clowning.

The time came for food and US protocol on prisoners state that they had to be given at least the essentials. So they gave them adequate food like bread and water. When some of them refused to eat, it wasn't the Rangers' problem.

The Rangers did their part. If these idiots want to starve, then go the fuck ahead.

Morning came swiftly and Pina and her knights found themselves in the courtyard of the South gate. Most of them were still sleepy from being woken forcibly up at the crack of dawn.

They were bunched up and their hands and feet chained. Of all of them, Bozes and Panache sported new bruises along their faces and were glaring daggers at any s personnel that passed them only to be ignored completely.

They had tried to fight their way out but the only thing they got from their efforts was a hard beating.

The US didn't discriminate. If you're an enemy, then you will be treated as such. No matter the rank, race, status, and gender.

 _"Princess Pina, what do you think will happen?"_ One of the male knights asked. He was one of the younger, more inexperienced ones. Well, for the Rose's standards that is.

Pina didn't exactly know the answer to that but she knew one thing. Slavery was out of the question as they appear to resent the idea with a vengeance. But that doesn't mean that they were in the clear just yet.

 _"I don't know."_ She whispered back.

Bozes spat on the feet of a soldier. _"Why don't you just get it over with? Why keep us alive?! So you can humiliate us?! Parade us through your capital like dogs?!"_

The soldier stared at her for a second before moving away like nothing ever happened. "Stupid kid."He mumbled in an irritated way than an angered one.

She was the second daughter of Marquis Palesti, a knight of her highness Princess Pina. And yet, she was being ignored and disgraced like this! It was as if her title and status didn't mean shit to these savages.

Just then, four of those carts entered the South gate and stopped just beyond the threshold. The knights stared at it, still in awe at what these strange contraptions were. It baffled them that these things could move without horses; did they use magic?

And from the one leading these carts, out came the one man who was the reason they were degraded from the prestige of knights to the shame of being prisoners.

Frost came out of the Humvee in full combat gear but without his balaclava and helmet on, he wore military sunglasses to cover his eyes. In his left hand was his weapon as he walked towards the knights without so much as an expression.

The more outspoken and reckless of them glared hard at the man, wanting nothing more than to run their swords through him. These were the veterans of their order. The more idiotic and prideful of them.

But those who showed fear backed away slightly. These were the rookies. The smart ones.

Pina glared at him but couldn't help but stare at Frost's face. He had strong features, and it came as a surprise to see how young he looked. He carried himself with authority and professionalism, no doubt Frost was serious about his craft.

"Good morning, sir." One soldier said with a salute which Frost returned it.

"Sitrep."

"No problems from most of them. But blonde and whitey over there tried to resist and escape, we had to take them down hard."

Frost nodded. "Just as long as they're still breathing. Transport birds are inbound and should make contact shortly, get the imps ready to move."

The soldier nodded and went to relay the order while Frost stayed and looked at the so called knights. Knights his ass, these were no more than kids playing dress up.

Did they even know what they signed up for? Did they just do this for the hell of it? It's all bullshit.

Frost looked at all of them and he can certainly say that every last one of them wouldn't last one second in a combat situation. They call themselves knights, distinguished combatants, and yet here they were, beaten and captured.

Their skills were shit, they charge right in without a plan of attack or knowing just who the hell they were facing. These so called knights were fucking jokes.

But...he couldn't just pull the trigger on them.

Taking a silent breath, Frost looked at all of them again. This time in a different light. True, they were Imperials. True, they were a part of the faction that had declared war on the US the moment they set foot on US soil, and killed hundred of civilians.

But at the end of the day...they were just kids.

Frost didn't know much about this, but to him, they looked no older than eighteen, some even look as young as fourteen. They shouldn't be here.

The Delta operator knew what mindset these knights had. They were instilled with the belief that they were untouchable, invincible because they were born with status and part of the elites of this Empire. In a way, the US and Empire were the same.

The US has been hailed as the primary superpower of its time. She had the strongest military and one of the biggest economies in the world. Her people were sure that nothing and no one could beat them.

They were proven wrong.

It all changed when war was brought to the shores of the United States by the Russians. Not since the Second World War did the US suffered that many losses. Though defeated, the Russians humbled them.

This opened the eyes of many Americans to the truth. There was no such thing as invincible and untouchable. The US had become arrogant in its own capabilities that she basically just became lazy.

But this was not the end. Faced with this truth, the US rebuilt itself anew and with it, its status as the prime superpower of the world.

Though that's where the similarities stop between the two nations. This Empire were animals, plain and simple. They kill, rape, and enslave innocent civilian and for what? For sport? For fun? For honor?!

It made Frost sick to the stomach. It may be like this once in his world but time only moves forward, and with it, everything else including civilizations, traditions, and morals and ethics.

Call it hypocrisy, but this cannot go on forever. And not go unpunished.

Shaking his head, Frost focused back to his current objectives. He had to get these knights back to base for interrogation on what they know.

For their sakes, they had better cooperate.

Frost was about to go back to his vehicle when his radio went live. He pressed on the earpiece. "This is RT 1 Actual, I read ya'."

"RT 1 Actual, Moses 1. Be advised, transport birds are entering the airspace. Recommend you get them ready for the trip back to base."

"Roger that, sir. Pick up point is at the South gate, we'll be waiting."

"Copy."

Frost let go of his earpiece and turned and sighed in relief. Time to go back home. Frost placed his index and middle finger in his mouth and gave a loud high-pitched whistle, getting everyone's attention. He raised his right arm and made a swirling motion.

This act confused the knights and some civilians watching from the sidelines, but it was all the US personnel needed.

They were moving out.

"All right, get 'em moving!" A Ranger hefted Princess Pina to her feet as she and her knights were led out of the gates. She locked eyes with Frost for a moment before he turned around and went towards his men.

It unnerved just how focused this Commander was. His face didn't show any compassion and yet didn't show any malice either.

"Kowalski, get the victors ready. We're heading out." Frost said through the comms as he walked to the exit.

"Rog'." The victors formed up outside the gate, prepared for the ride back home.

A few mikes later, a Chinook troop transport chopper and two were Apache Longbow gunships were approaching the South gate.

"RT 1 Actual, this is Bandit 1-5. Heard you boys invited some guests over so get 'em on board, over." The Chinook pilot began his descent as the Apaches hovered in the air to provide security for prisoner extract.

"RT 1 Actual, Swordfish 0-1 and 2. On station and ready to provide security for prisoner extract."

Frost stood a few meters away from the descending bird and waited for it to touch down. "Solid copy."

The knights could only watch as these monstrosities float just a few meters away from them. The sounds they gave off, those deafening booms, echoed in the sky as the dust and dirt flew around.

When the Chinook touched down, the ramp opened up and out came about four fully armed men. Deltas like Frost and some of his squad mates

"Good to see you and your boys are okay, sir." The leader said and held out his hand. "Redneck. Here to make sure they don't freak out in the air."

Frost shook his hand. "Likewise." Frost retracted his hand. "Let's get a move on, we've already wasted enough time as it is."

Redneck nodded and signaled for his men to escort the prisoners to the chopper. "Anything I should be aware of?"

"Those two." Frost pointed to Bozes and Panache who were struggling. "Keep an eye on them. They're the ones causing the most trouble."

"Got it."

One the prisoners were loaded and secured, Redneck and Frost went back to their respective rides. Frost put his balaclava on and entered the lead Humvee. "Everyone accounted for?" He looked back and saw Rory, Lelei, and Tuka were there along with their sack of dough.

"Copy that, sir."

Frost nodded and went on to contact base command."Moses 1, RT 1 Actual. Prisoners are on board and secure. We are RTB...for real this time."

Colonel Hendricks chuckled. "Copy that."

Sighing, Frost cut the comms and sat back on his seat. "All right, Kowalski. Punch it."

"Gladly, sir." The convoy rolled out together with the birds.

A few hours in, they had passed the outer perimeter line into US territory. "Overlord, this is Bandit 1-5. We've passed Perimeter Line Romeo."

"Roger that, proceed on current heading. Be advised 5, friendly fast movers are entering your airspace."

"Copy."

Back on the ground, Frost was minding his own business when he heard the familiar roar of engines coming his way. "RT 1 Actual, this is Bandit 5. Friendly fast movers coming in from the South East, over."

"Fast movers, eh? Now we're talkin'." Grimes chuckled.

A few seconds later, the eagles were finally visible. "Yeah, there goes our boys." Tucker pointed to a flight of six F-22 Raptors in the Vic formation flying overhead. They were from the USAF's 1st Fighter Wing.

In the Chinook, the knights looked outside the windows to see six of those flying swords pass them at blinding speeds. They were awed by the display, but their awe turned to horror when they realized where those flying swords were going.

 _"They're heading towards the Imperial Capital!"_

Inside the cockpit of one of the F-22 Raptors was Major Keating, leader of this little flight. "Penance 4-1 to Penance flight, maintain 275 degrees. Fifty clicks to target."

"Hey, we just passed our boys down there." The pilot of the second F-22, Lt. Daniels, a female Air Force pilot.

"Yeah, Recon Team 1. Heard they kicked ass." The pilot of the third F-22, Cpt. Summers.

The fourth pilot, Sgt. Rooks, a rookie , chuckled. "True that, heard they held off an entire battalion of bad guys. Got 'em scared shitless."

"Hey, let's not give them all of the credit. Besides, we're on a mission of our own." The fifth pilot, Lt. Jorge, said.

"Yeah, our first major offensive. Let's do this." And the last pilot, 2nd Lt. Hawkins.

It was true, they were on a mission. Penance flight has been given orders to go behind enemy lines and deal a devastating strike right at the heart of the Imperial Capital.

Overhead recon from Predator drones have supplied the necessary targets for this op and Maj. Keating wants a quick rundown with his flight.

"Okay, we got another forty clicks before we enter hostile airspace at this speed. Everyone set your controls to autopilot and sync up, let's review our objectives and targets."

"Roger that."

The pilots engaged their autopilots and synced up systems with their CO.

Major Keating began uploading the latest recon feed of the Imperial City's layout into his flight's displays. "This is the AO Hydra and this..." The image zoomed in to the center of the city where the most expensive looking shits were. "Is our shooting range."

"Hmm, shame it'll be rubble once we get through with them."

"ArCom has identified three targets for us." The first image came up. "This is one of the main military barracks where a good chunk of their soldiers are staying." The second image. "This is where their dragons knights are being kept." And last, but not the least. "The last one is presumably where their leaders meet, designated as Building A."

It was big, lavish, and just screams politics. It had to be the place.

"We'll hit the targets simultaneously. Daniels, you and Rooks hit barracks. Jorge, Summers, eliminate the dragon pen. While me and Hawkins destroy Building A."

"Understood."

"Just to be clear, we are restricted to the upper districts. We are not authorized to engage the lower districts, Command suspects that's where most of the civilians are. As much as possible, minimize civilian casualties."

"Got it." They all replied in the positive. Their objective was to strike at the heart of the enemy, not bomb an entire city to ash.

Major Keating nodded. "They attacked our city, now it's time to return the favor."

 ***Ten Minutes Later - Five Clicks Outside of AO Hydra***

"Sir, we're five clicks out and closing." Jorge reported as the F-22s soared towards their targets.

"All right, break formation and head to your designated targets. I'm calling this in." Keating said as the Raptors began pairing up with their partners for the strike. "Overlord, this is Penance 4-1. We have entered AO Hydra and are ready to bring the pain. Requesting permission to initiate air strike."

"Penance 4-1, you have the green light. Air strike is a go. Send them a message they won't forget."

"Roger. All Raptors, safety's off."

In the lower districts of the Imperil Capital was where the poor and the dirty lived. Where crime was prevalent everyday because the Empire just didn't care.

Most of those that walked the streets were not human but a collection of different humanoids. They were all discriminated and rejected by this society or in simpler terms, were victims or racism.

And due to this, some of them had to resort to...unorthodox methods just to get by. Like prostitution, murder, robbery, and many more.

It was another simple day, another horrible day for the people here, until they heard something in the skies above.

 _"What the-"_ Suddenly, six strange flying giant birds flew passed them with a deafening roar.

"Penance 4-2 and 3, breaking away." Daniels and Rooks broke off from the flight to their own objective.

"Penance 4 and 5, breaking away." Jorge and Summers headed to their targets, leaving Keating and Hawkins to go on with theirs.

"You ready, kid?"

Hawkins laughed. "Ready as I'll ever be. Readying Thermobaric bombs." The pilots flipped the switch and their payload was armed and ready to be deployed.

"Targets locked." The rest of the flight radioed in and Keating gave the order.

"Weapons away."

From the gigantic palace of the Empire, in the throne room sat Emperor Molt. He was the ruler of the most powerful nation, and commanded the most powerful army in the land.

But for the past months, an enemy the likes of which he has never seen before had attacked. An enemy from beyond the gate.

When no one from the force he had sent to the gate returned, he had mobilized the entire army to guard the gate for any attack. And when the enemy did came, his army was all but wiped out.

This was a problem because it not only weakened his power but also feared that the surrounding nations will know of this and attack the empire. But like the conniving snake he is, Molt had tricked the Tribute States to band together and defeat this enemy, knowing full well that it would only result in a massacre.

It worked as the Allied Armies were annihilated and he ordered that a Scorched Earth campaign be waged in order to slow the enemy down, Molt didn't care of what happened to his people, they were nothing to him anyway.

Molt thought that he could outlast them and once they were weakened, he and his reformed army could beat them back and cross the gate once more to conquer it.

But he was wrong.

In just a few days ago, he had learned of the capture of Italica and this was bad news. _'This is getting nowhere. Without Italica, the economy would drop rapidly.'_

His musings were cut when an ungodly roar came from the outside and the ground shook beneath his feet followed by loud explosions. The shockwaves were so intense that the chandelier fell from the ceiling and made Molt fall from his chair.

 _"Your majesty, are you all right?!"_ One guard asked, picking up the Emperor.

 _"Yes."_ Molt coughed from the dust. _"What happened?"_

 _"I'm not sure, your highness."_

Then the doors suddenly opened to reveal another guard who was looking like he had stared death in the face. _"We are under attack by giant flying birds! The Senate Building has just been destroyed!"_

Emperor Molt's eyes widened in shock of what he had heard. Then, another shockwave was felt, then another.

"All Penance birds, report."

"Sir, barracks have been destroyed. Approximately eighty five percent enemy KIA." Daniels reported.

"Those dragons ain't gonna be a problem anymore." Jorge chuckled.

Keating nodded and looked down at his own target. The once beautiful and large structure was now a smoldering pile of rubble thanks to the wonders of military ordnance.

With their targets destroyed and objectives achieved, Keating decided it was time to head home. The rest of the Raptors joined up Keating and the Major nodded. "All right, good work people. All targets destroyed. Mission complete. Let's head home."

"This is gonna be one helluva story for the kids."

"Overlord, Penance 4-1. Weapons strikes confirmed on all designated targets. All primary threats neutralized. We're heading home."

"Roger, Penance 4-1. Good job. Bring it in and get some rest." And just like that, the six Raptors turned tail and punched it back to base.

Outside the Imperial Palace, there was only chaos. Soldiers were running about trying to put out the fires. Nobles and Senators were running around in a panic.

Emperor Molt stood outside and looked at the devastation done to his home. Men were buried and squashed under debris, once beautiful buildings were reduced to rubble.

The screams of men and women who were mangled and mutilated by this attack echoed through the heavens begging for help. Before Molt's eyes was the truth. The truth of what happens now to him and the Empire.

Annihilation.

As he looked on at the destruction, he heard what sounds like a terrible roar from the sky and looked up. What he saw was nothing short of terrifying. Six giant metal things were flying away from the Imperial Capital.

Were those responsible for this? What were these constructs? Did the enemy from the other side of the gate sent them?

These question ran through his head, but he couldn't think like this. He was facing an enemy that would absolutely do anything to obtain victory. They didn't abide by their standards of honor and laws and that's what made them dangerous.

If this enemy was in fact responsible for this, then it was only a matter of time but he knew this.

This was just the beginning.

 ** _AFTER SPENDING THE NIGHT AT FIRE BASE IOWA, RECON TEAM 1 HAS SUCCESSFULLY TRANSPORTED PRINCESS PINA AND HER PRISONERS TO FORT ARNUS FOR INTERROGATION. WHILE AT THE SAME TIME, SIX F-22 RAPTORS DESIGNATED AS PENANCE UNDER THE COMMAND OF MAJOR KEATING WERE GIVEN ORDERS TO LAUNCH A DEVASTATING AIR STRIKE AT THE HEART OF THE EMPIRE. ALL PRIMARY THREATS DESTROYED AND ALL RAPTORS ARE ACCOUNTED FOR. OPERATION SUCCESS._**

 ** _INTERROGATION OF PRISONERS TO BE CONDUCTED BY CIA AGENTS. THE USE OF TORTURE HAS BEEN AUTHORIZED._**

 ** _REPORT COMPLETE_**

 ** _AN: You ever wondered what happened to the Allied Armies here? Well..._**

 ** _Bonus Chapter – Hell On Earth_**

Following the defeat and systematic slaughter of the Imperial Army, the surrounding vassal states were given messages by the Emperor to unite and defeat this new and powerful enemy that now occupies Arnus Hill.

Heeding this call, the Principality of League, the Elbe Kingdom, the Kingdom of Alguna, and the Kingdom of Mudwan had all joined forces and converged to Arnus Hill with their armies.

Their numbers was almost half a million strong and the kings were confident that they'd win on the first day of battle. After all, it was a million against a meager ten thousand.

But one king had his doubts. Duran was the king of Elbe, he was known throughout the land as a fierce warrior, the Lion of the Elbe Clan. They say with age comes wisdom, and with age also comes instincts. And his instincts were telling him that this was all wrong.

How can a small force reduce the Imperial Army to shambles in just three days and now, the Empire was calling upon them to battle this threat.

It just didn't make sense to Duran so he decided that he won't be joining in the front lines for now. This was a battle he just couldn't risk going in blind.

And that moment of hesitation was the only thing that saved him from the horror that he was about to see.

The next day, about fifty thousand soldiers of the Allied Army led by the kings of Alguna, Mudwan, and the Duke of League, were marching up to Arnus Hill for the first taste of battle.

 _"_ _Ha, this won't even be a battle! This will all be over when my army gets there!"_ The king of Alguna boasted as he rode his horse.

 _"_ _We shall see, my friend, who will be the one who ends this."_ The king of Mudwan challenged while at the back of the force was the Duke of League with his own troops.

He was a bit bitter that his army won't be going to the front lines but at least he'll be a part of the first battle. But…where was the Imperial Amry? Shouldn't they have seen them by now? _"Where's the Imperial Amry?"_ He asked.

 _"_ _I don't know."_ One of his men replied.

The Duke gritted his teeth. The Imperial Army was not here. Could it be possible that they were already wiped out? Or they were never here in the first place. _"They couldn't have…"_

Unknown to the Duke, he was right in the crosshairs of a .50 cal. M82 Barret sniper rifle of a Delta sniper.

"I got what appears to be an enemy commander in my sights. Terminate?" The sniper asked his spotter form their concealed firing position approximately 1,600 meters from the enemy force. His finger ready to give the necessary squeeze on the trigger on the go ahead.

"Negative. Red light on the shot, Hawk. There's too many of them, we don't want to reveal our position." His spotter said and Hawk withdrew from the trigger.

"Copy. What's your recommendation, Grit?" Hawk asked his partner who took out his radio.

"Calling it in. Overlord, this is Guardian 1. We have a situation here, over." Grit said over the radio as Hawk tracked the enemy's progress.

"Fifteen hundred meters."

"Roger, Guardian 1. What do ya' got?"

"We have spotted a large number of enemy foot mobiles converging on our position, possibly on their way towards Arnus. Request fire support."

"Understood, Guardian. Passing you to fire control."

"Guardian 1, this is Barbarian 6, at your service. Got a line of M119 and triple seven Howitzers and guys with itchy trigger fingers. Call the shots."

"Enemy range: twelve hundred meters."

"Barbarian 6, enemy is bunched up approximately twelve hundred meters from our position. Lazing target, standby." Grit got out the laser designator and painted area for an artillery barrage.

"Coordinates received. Here's on the menu, boys. High explosives, clusters, or white phosphorus. Take your pick."

Grit looked at Hawk and the sniper looked at him and nodded. "White phosphorus."

Barbarian 6 chuckled. "Copy that."

"May God have mercy on them. 'Cause we sure as hell won't." This was for New York.

The twenty thousand men of the Allied Armies were about to go over a hill when they heard whistling in the air. The men stopped, dumbfounded by what could make the strange sound and looked at the sky but saw there was nothing there.

Then.

Explosion after explosion impacted the ground around them and at their center, killing about a good chunk of them.

 _"_ _MY MEN!"_ The duke stared in shock at what was happening before being blown up by an incoming shell.

But it wasn't the explosions that would kill them. Oh, no. It would be one of the horrific advancements of modern warfare that would seal their fates.

Watching from afar, King Duran watched as the cloud of smoke and debris erupted from where the troops should be. _"No…is Arnus Hill erupting..?"_ He asked in shock before ordering his own men to move forwards to see what has happened.

When they got there, they were met with a horrific sight. All twenty thousand men were all torn up. Body part littered the ground, and some were even smashed to a pulp. But the most disturbing was some were burning with no flames, and some of them were alive.

The wails of pain of the survivors reached their ears as they slowly burned to a crisp. One soldier came up to them as his body sizzled, his flesh bubbling before collapsing on the ground in front of Duran.

 _"_ _K-K-Kill meeee…kill…meee…"_

One of Duran's men couldn't hold it any longer and threw up at the sight. Duran watched as the man in front of him was roasted alive with a feeling of dread.

Then a loud bang echoed and one of his men's head exploded right off from his shoulders. This caused them to make a hasty retreat.

"Nicely done, Hawk." Grit muttered as they stared at the sizzling ground and barbecued remains of these fucking bastards.

The day they attacked the US was the day they signed their death warrants. And now, as they did to the innocent men, women, and children of America, there will be no mercy.

"Guardian 1, Barbarian 6. What's the low down? Do you need another salvo?"

"Negative, 6. All enemies are now roast and barbecue."

"Copy. Overlord, Barbarian 6. Fire mission complete, all hostiles either KIA or cooking like a steak over a hot grill."

"Overlord copies all, good job. Guardian 1, bring it in. We have issued a code red alert and we need all hands on deck for this one."

"Roger."

The next day, an even larger force of a hundred thousand men and dragon ride were sent in to battle at Arnus.

 _"_ _This is for our king!"_ One cavalryman rallied as he led the charge towards Arnus Hill followed by thousands of his fellow cavalrymen, and above them were hundreds of dragon riders.

But once they were in range, the US unleashed a wall of rounds from thousands of heavy and small arms fire. The high powered rounds made quick work of the cavalry as tanks and artillery pieces fired their guns into bunched up enemies.

The dragon riders thought they were safe from the air and began their attack, confident that their sheer numbers would overwhelm this enemy. They were proven wrong when thousands of those fire sporting rods pointed up and began firing on them.

AA batteries and SAM launchers made quick work of those flying lizards and their riders. Reducing them to no more than heaps of flesh falling from the sky.

And this just left the bulk of the enemy force to continue the push.

The commander of the force was sweating bullets. The entire cavalry…the entire dragon corps…obliterated in just a few short hours of battle.

How…how can this be?!

At the US defensive lines, the soldiers there were all but unscathed. They suffered only minimal injuries from the initial attacks and now, their sights were set on the biggest one yet.

"Sir, we a got a ton more of bad guys inbound."

"How many we got?"

"Looks like a fucking city out there, we're gonna need air support."

"Overlord, this Honey Badger. We got a large group of hostile infantry converging on our position. Requesting CAS."

"Roger, Badger. Birds loaded with Mk. 77 Napalm ordnance are inbound."

Just then, fifteen Black Hawks and ten MH-6 Little Bird gunships flew overhead and towards the stunned enemy infantry. When the birds were near, they dropped their payload which contained the infamous cocktail Napalm.

Due to being tightly packed, all one hundred thousand enemy combatant were caught in the run. As the flames ravaged their bodies, the US soldiers only watched with contempt.

This was not a war, no. This was revenge at its most brutal. For every civilian they had butchered without mercy, ten thousand of them will burn to a crisp.

WITHOUT MERCY!

"Burn in hell, mother fuckers."

"Overlord, Dagger 1. We have a hundred percent enemy KIA. I got a visual on the enemy camp about five clicks to the North East. Dagger units are requesting permission to initiate search and destroy, over."

"Dagger 1, permission granted."

The Black Hawks formed up and began making their way towards the enemy encampment. As they neared, the one leading them had only hate and pain in his eyes.

Flashes of what was left of his dead wife and son came to his mind. His son's headless body and wife's battered own. And he didn't want to imagine what happened to her. The pilot gritted his teeth as he tried to stay focused.

They were the most important thing he had in this world, and these fucking animal took them away from him!

A single tear fell from his eyes as they burned with hellish vengeance. "This is for my wife and kid."

The birds lined up for the most effective run while the enemy didn't have time to react. When the birds were in optimal position, they let loose with every goddamn bullet and ordnance they had to spare.

A grand total of five hundred thousand rounds and Dozens of high explosive and incendiary ordnance were expended that day. And the US still had plenty more.

Dusk had fallen over the camp of the Allied Army and everything was in disarray. What's left of the leadership there were panicking

 _"_ _Of the five hundred thousand we set out with, we have less than forty thousand! How could this have happened?"_

 _"_ _Our troops have been decimated. Our camp in shambles. Where is the Imperial Army?! What the hell are they doing?!"_

 _"_ _No, not even they could stand against their might."_

King Duran listened as the frightened kings bickered trapped in his own thoughts. He knew he can't face them head on, they were just that powerful. Everything they had thrown at Arnus Hill were burned to ash or torn limb from limb.

He thought he'd seen it all, the horrors of war. But this…this was unparalleled brutality at its worst.

 _"_ _Should we retreat?"_

Duran decided to make himself known again. _We cannot run off like cowards now."_ The kings looked at him like he had gone mad. _"Not before I repay them with an arrow."_

 _"_ _B-But Lord Duran, we don't have the numbers for another assault like that."_

The king of Elbe looked at them. _"True, we would be destroyed before we even get close to the hill. Perhaps a night raid."_

Under the cover of darkness, what's left of the Allied Army marched towards the other side of the hill in an attempt to flank this enemy and attack them from the side. King Duran was sure that the enemy would never expect an attack at night. It was a sound plan.

Too bad he had never heard of night vision and thermal optics.

Hawk and Grit were dug in along the defensive line together with the 1st Infantry Division, and the 75th Ranger Regiment's BCT 1 and 1st and 2nd Battalion. At the back of the troops were a line of fifty carefully placed M1A2 Abrams tanks and twenty APCs.

And they could all see them coming.

"Hostile forces coming in from the South. Range, eight hundred meters." Grit radioed in as he and the rest of the troops stationed there pointed their guns to the South.

"All units, this is Guardian 1. Standby to engage."

King Duran moved with his troops to the hill. Moving as silently as possible to avoid detection. His men were scared, that much he could tell, he couldn't blame them.

 _"_ _Move lightly, now."_ An officer said.

And then, the dark sky suddenly lit up with bright orange orbs. King Duran and his men looked up to see those strange burning lights descending from the skies.

 _"_ _What?!"_ King Duran mumbled and looked at his bewildered men. _"No."_ He had walked right into a trap.

Just as the previous days before of this battle, the ground began to explode all around them as fast moving lights came racing towards them.

By the hundreds they fell in pieces as King Duran was thrown from his horse as he watched his men get torn to pieces.

It was surreal. The screams of fear and pain of his men reached his aged ears as they fell in heaps. He turned his attention to the hill and fell to his knees.

 _"_ _How…how…could I have been so blind..?"_ In a fit of madness, he lose it and began to laugh uncontrollably until he was struck by a 105mm frag shell.

 ** _BATTLE REPORT:_**

 ** _US PERSONNEL CASUALTIES: SEVENTY WOUNDED, EIGHT VEHICLES DAMAGED, NO KIA._**

 ** _ENEMY FORCE CASUALTIES: TOTAL._**

 ** _ALL HOSTILE PERSONNEL DESTROYED._**

 ** _ESTIMATED NUMBER OF KILLED HOSTILE PERSONNEL: 489,987._**

 ** _AN: So, how do you like it? And I'll just repeat my message from Prophetic Fate:_**

 ** _Kevin, I understand where you're going but this isn't real life. This is the world of fiction and this is Call of Duty we're talking about here. And not to mention all the crazy shits Anime has done. Still not convinced? Well, remember in Modern Warfare 2 in the Mission Contingency? Cpt. Prince launched a NUCLEAR MISSILE aimed towards the East Coast of the United States and he didn't get executed because of it. Need I say more?_**

 ** _Also, everyone don't hate on Kevin. Everyone's entitled to their opinion._**

 ** _And about the poll I created. You have until next chapter to vote because there is really just two choices now and they're neck and neck._**

 ** _And thanks for all your support with my story._**

 ** _Knight, out._**


	10. Chapter 10

**_GATE: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri and Call of Duty crossover._**

"Oscar Mike" - English

 _'Oscar Mike' - Thoughts_

 _"Oscar Mike" - Whatever language these people speak_

 ** _Chapter X – Same Day Different Shit  
_**

In the dirt road leading to Italica, three individuals were riding on horseback to said site. The ones riding there were known as the Warrior Bunnies, one of the many types of humanoids found in the New Frontier.

The Warrior Bunnies were a proud and brutal race of warriors. They were once found in the North Eastern plains of the continent and consisted of a number of tribe and almost exclusively consisted of females.

But now, the once proud warriors were now reduced to mere slaves. Not long ago, the Empire had invaded their lands in force. Though the Warrior Bunnies fought bravely and savagely fitting for their name, the numbers were just too much.

Those who fought died but not before being raped countless times until they went insane while those that surrendered were quickly turned into slaves...sex slaves to be exact. But a lucky few managed to escape the pseudo genocide and scattered.

In order to survive, they had to resort to theft, begging, and prostitution. And some of them gave up by cutting a portion of their right ear, deciding it was better to be someone's personal fuck thing rather than live like this.

And then, they stumbled unto the lands of Clan Formal.

The previous head of the clan, Count Colt, was...well...he just liked humanoids so he agreed for them to stay on his lands as sanctuary. Some were even employed as housemaids by him.

While they were poor, the Warrior Bunnies at least had a place to call home for now.

But recently, the Bunnies' village was running low on food supplies and the crops they were growing would not arrive in time to feed the many mouths that were hungry.

And that's where these three come in. Thesia, Amora, and Akasha volunteered to go to Italica and request for some supplies from Countess Myui.

Clan Formal was always kind to those under them and they had no doubt that Countess Myui wouldn't help them. Though a child and still inexperienced in politics, she shared her father's views of equality between humans and humanoids...just not the hobby part.

Thesia was the oldest of them while Akasha and Amora were younger by two years. Like all of their kin, they possessed goddess-like bodies that were really sought after, the only difference was their hair...fur color. While Akasha and Amora had a coat of chocolate brown and black respectively, Thesia had a cream color to her.

Thesia led her group towards Italica in full speed. They had been traveling for almost two days and were determined to get some food back to their home.

 _"C'mon! Italica's just over the hill!"_ Thesia called back to her companions.

Akasha and Amora nodded and kicked their horses into high gear. The three were about to go over the hill overlooking the city of Italica until three large flying things flew overhead.

The horses reared back in fright as the three women tried to control them with great difficulty. _"Woah! Woah! Easy, girl. Easy."_ Akasha tried to calm her horse down while they stared at the rapidly moving flying birds.

 _"What the hell is that..?"_ Amora muttered, shocked at what she had saw. As a warrior by blood, she was raised and trained to expect the unexpected but what happened just now goes beyond what was unexpected.

Thesia narrowed her eyes at the flying beasts. They had no wings like a dragon, but still flew. And the sounds they make...like small explosions...were those it's roar? She was at a loss.

The one at the middle was very large and bulky compared to the other two. It had two of those wings while the others had only one but even then those two still can fly.

 _"I...I don't know."_ Thesia replied, still eyeing those flying monstrosities. _"But let's get-"_ Her eyes widened when she realized something. Whatever those monsters were, they had came from the direction Italica was! _"Fuck! It came from Italica!"_

The other two were shocked at this. _"What?!"_

 _"Move! We gotta see what happened!"_ Thesia exclaimed and they rode full speed to the top of the hill to see what had happened to Italica.

Worry began to grow in their hearts. If Italica was destroyed, their people would starve to death. And not to mention some of their own work as maids at Clan Formal. And Countess Myui...

Finally reaching the top of the hill, they had expected Italica in ruin; the town in flames and her people all but wiped out. But their grim expectation was not what they got.

Thesia, Amora, and Akasha could only stare in complete surprise at what they were seeing. The small town that gave them sanctuary was surrounded by dozens of buildings. Strange metal horseless wagons and peculiar looking people roamed surrounding area.

It didn't take a genius to piece it all together. Italica has fallen and was now occupied by an unknown army.

The three warriors couldn't believe it. It disgusted them to admit it but wasn't Italica under the protection of the Empire? The Imperial Army was the most powerful military force in the land but...why has Italica fallen? And why weren't they been informed of this?

 _"T-This can't be..."_ Akasha muttered in shock. _"How did Italica fall..? I thought those pigs were protecting her!"_

 _"The fuck does it matter?! Even it's just the three of us, we have to do something!"_ Amora pulled out her sword as did Akasha. The Warrior Bunnies were indeed brutal and fierce beings, but they did know the concept of gratitude.

Clan Formal had stepped in and gave the Bunnies a place to call home. They would be damned if they didn't repay the favor!

Before Amora and Akasha could charge in and probably commit suicide, Thesia blocked their path. _"What the fuck are you two doing?!"_

 _"Thesia, can't you see Italica needs our help?!"_ Amora pointed to the said town. _"We must do something!"_

 _"We owe Clan Formal our lives. You can't expect us to just stand here and fucking watch!"_ Akasha said.

 _"Listen, we can't just charge in, it's suicide! And if Italica did fell, most of it should be rubble by now but it's not."_ Thesia reasoned and the other two looked past her and saw Italica looked just fine.

This only confused them more. _"B-But how..? Why?"_

Thesia too was stumped at this. Normally, a town that was occupied would be razed to the ground, the people enslaved or worse, and hundreds of mangled corpses would litter the ground. That was the norm and the Warrior Bunnies know this firsthand.

But Italica didn't look like the smoldering ruins it was supposed to be. In fact, it looked...better.

The three of them could also see people working on he ruined fields. At first, they thought that they had been forced to do that, but the Bunnies were once again surprised to see that some of those soldiers were giving them a hand.

 _"...What do we do?"_ Akasha asked the questions running through their heads.

Thesia weighed down their options. If they proceed, there was no guarantee that whoever has occupied Italica would be friendly. For all she knew, this was just a trick to lure people in.

What she was seeing was just too good to be true.

If they turn back, the village would starve to death. And would have to resort to scavenging and hunting in the nearby forest which was not a big of a problem but with so many mouths to feed, this was not the best solution. And if worst comes to worst, they would have to resort to cannibalism.

Warrior Bunnies may be savage, brutal and cruel, but not once did they eat those they kill, let alone themselves.

It took her a few minutes but Thesia eventually came to a decision. _"We proceed to Italica."_

 _"And what if those...soldiers are not what we seem them to be?"_ Akasha asked, her distrust to this very apparent.

 _"Then we fight our way out."_ Thesia replied. _"But for now, let's just get to Italica and hope for the best."_

Though not totally convinced, Akasha and Amora followed Thesia down the hill towards Italica.

 ** _*US Security Checkpoint: Atlas - North Perimeter*_**

Ever since Recon Team 1 and the transport birds left with the prisoners, everything slowed down for the US forces stationed in Fire Base Iowa.

In anticipation for further deep penetration deployments, Fire Base Iowa became the garrison for the 75th Ranger Regiment's Alpha and Delta Company of the 1st Battalion, the 10th Mountain Division's Brigade Combat Team 1 "Warrior", and, once the necessary facilities were in place, the 1st Battalion of the 160th SOAR.

But since the occupation started only days ago, only a fraction of the assigned units were stationed there as the necessary housings and facilities were being set up. For now, it was just the 75th Ranger Regiment's 1st Battalion and a small contingent of the 10th Mountain Division's BCT 2 were active.

Their job was to safeguard the civies there and defend Italica from any forms of hostile presence in the area, and expand US influence further North. Not to mention if and when the order was given, the Imperial Capital was only a very _very_ short ride to the West.

It was just like old times...

And since the occupation began, the civilians have been more than willing to cooperate. The people of Italica were extremely grateful to the US Army for not just defending them, but also rebuilding their homes, giving them supplies, and treating their wounded and burying the dead.

In short, relations between the US Forces and the city of Italica were good.

And in time, some US personnel began to teach some children basic education like simple math, and the English language as is with the refugee camp back at Fort Arnus. Kind of like to pass the time and be helpful.

Soon, some of the maids and adults, and even Countess Myui were beginning to attend classes.

It would've been made easier if the soldiers there had portable translators with them but until the higher ups green light it and shiny new toys from the eggheads at DARPA, they'd have to make due with their pocketbooks.

Aside from the basics, they were also taught about ideals on equality and freedom.

Of course, these ideals were met with questions and opposition from some of them. It was t be expected as they lived in a world and time where acts like rape, slavery, and mindless slaughter were done so often they were considered the norms and customs here.

Rather than forcing them to accept it, the US soldiers understood that their ideas were all new to these people and such change can't be forced to be accepted.

They pitied these people for living in such conditions. Not being able to receive even the simplest of necessities and the smallest luxury in life.

Even the Afghans had it better than here.

"There they go, man." An infantryman of the 10th Mountain Division, Cpl. Gomez, chuckled as he watched a group of kids running to the tents with eager looks on their faces. "Never seen kids so eager to go to school."

Cpl. Gomez and three other troopers were tasked with guarding Security Checkpoint Atlas, and right now, they were just watching some kids running to the makeshift classrooms.

"Yeah, very unlike most of the kids back home." A fellow infantryman, Pvt. Keller, said with an amused tone.

"It's kinda sad, you know. I know this happened in the past but...to deny your own people of even the bare essentials? Makes me sick." Another, Pvt. Suarez, shook his head.

Gomez and Keller agreed to his sentiment as did most of the US forces here. "Yeah, but look at it in a historical view, man. This kinda shit happened in our own world. Kings and so called nobles all taking the good shit and leaving the scraps to the rest. It took a long time for that to stop and even then it still happens back home. Civilization will never be perfect but at least it evolves, right?" Gomez shrugged.

"We sound like fucking politicians." Gomez sighed.

"Ah, at least we're not blood sucking parasites." Keller chuckled.

Suarez laughed and lightly tapped his helmet. "True that, but it's for the better, man. And don't forget, we're still gunning for the fuckers who started this in the first place."

"I wish the suits back in Washington would give the order already. I want some good old fashioned revenge."

"We all do, man. We all fucking do."

Attacking American soil was one thing, but to attack just to mercilessly slaughter hundred of civilians? Consider yourself marked for death.

The three soldiers continued to talk around until their comms came alive. "Atlas 1, Echo 4. I got three unknowns on horseback heading towards your position, over."

Hearing this, the three infantrymen readied their weapons and took up positions as the two M1A3 Abrams tank gunners manned the heavy MGs. "Confirmed, Echo 4." Gomez replied as he and his team took up defensive positions if need be. "Are they carrying weapons?"

"Likely."

"Okay, keep tracking them. I'll alert the Colonel." Echo 4 complied and Gomez hailed Fire Base Command. "Moses 1, this is Security Checkpoint Atlas. We have a visual on three unidentified individuals approaching our position. Possibly armed but have not shown any aggression. Advise."

"Atlas Checkpoint, it's your call."

"Roger that, sir. All units, hold fire until my go." Gomez took out his binoculars to get a better view on the incoming tangos. Zeroing down on them, he was surprised to see that they look like those animal...maids with the rabbit ears. Warrior Bunnies if he got the name right.

They looked a little wary from what he could tell, possibly scared from what they were seeing. Gomez could also see hilts by their sides so they were indeed armed, but in a lawless land like this, it was probably for the best.

Though they didn't look hostile, Gomez was not taking any chances.

"What's the play, Gom?" Suarez asked. If these Bunnies proved hostile, then he was ready to kill.

"Let's see what they want for now. But be ready to take 'em down if they attack. Echo 4, request you provide armed overwatch. Line up your shots nice and clean just in case."

From the strategic watch towers overlooking the site, two snipers zeroed in on the Bunnies. "Overwatch established. We gotcha."

The US soldiers waited for their unexpected visitors to arrive at the checkpoint, their weapons trained and ready to fire on them if they did act hostile. Finally, after a few short mikes, the three wary but admittedly lovely Bunnies reached the checkpoint.

Cpl. Gomez sighed. "Hope you boys brushed up on those language classes." He muttered before he, Keller, and Suarez walked to the checkpoint gate, seemingly relaxed but ready to spring into action.

Suarez raised his left hand, signaling for the three to stop. _"Halt!"_

 _"Halt!"_

Thesia, Akasha, and Amora heard the soldier say and reluctantly complied. When they had entered Italica's grounds, they could see the scars of battle even though it was mostly repaired.

Whatever the battle was, it was destructive, that much Thesia could see with all the semi covered craters all over the fields.

Turning her attention to the ones in front of her, Thesia took note of how oddly dressed these soldiers were. They were bulky but had no little or no signs of armor on them, instead it was just cloth. If this was some kind of new armor, Thesia has never heard about it.

Next were their weapons. They carried strange metal rods of varying shapes and sizes. Thesia furrowed her brow, trying to recall anything in her life that resembled such things but nothing came up.

Were those rods magical staffs? Were these soldiers mages? But they didn't look like mages and they appeared to be also trained in fighting up close and personal.

A low rumble caught their attention and the three Warrior Bunnies looked to the sides and their eyes widened in surprise. Laying motionless on either side of them were two massive metal constructs of dark green in color. Both of these things were of low stature but it didn't made the Bunnies feel any easier. At its front was a long narrow snout which they guessed was its mouth.

They were broken from their trance when someone cleared their throat. _"I'll ask again. What business do you have in Italica?"_

Akasha, Amora, and Thesia blinked a couple of times before facing the strange soldiers yet again. Akasha and Amora were wary before but now they losing it. They were ready to lash out but Thesia managed to hold them back.

 _"We're here to request aid from Countess Myui. Our village has run out of food and is starving. We need the Countess' help."_

They saw the one in the middle nod and pressed a finger to his ear, confusing the Bunnies.

"Sir, we got civilian envoys from a nearby village asking to meet with the Countess. They said they're here to request for some supplies for their village." NORAD

"Standby." Cpl. Gomez waited for a minute before he got his reply. "Atlas 1 we've informed the head maid and we got confirmation, they're cleared to enter Italica. A team will escort them to the mansion as soon as they enter the gate."

"Roger." Gomez cut the comms and turned to the three Bunnies. _"You may enter. You'll be escorted to the Countess once you enter the North gate. Just don't cause any trouble."_

 _"And what makes you think you can order us around?"_ Amora challenged.

Thesia gave her a heated glare. Trying to anger the ones holding the town that can give them supplies - not to mention the Countess of said town - was not a good idea. But before she could tell Amora to shut up, the soldiers spoke.

 _"I'm gonna let that one slide. Just go, Countess Myui has already been informed of your arrival."_ Gomez nodded towards Keller and he lifted the gate, granting Thesia, Akasha, and Amora entrance.

Though it made things easier, Thesia couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. Instead of resorting to violence and possibly killing each other, these men didn't sound the least bit angry; a little annoyed but that's it. Why?

These soldiers...they're not like anything she has encountered before.

 _"Who are you?"_ Thesia finally asked.

Gomez looked at her for a second before giving his reply. _"We're the US Army. Now get your asses inside."_

Slowly, the three entered the checkpoint while eyeing certain things. Like the ones in those towers.

 _"US Army..? I've never heard of that before."_ Amora said, looking back at the mysterious soldiers.

 _"Me neither..."_ Akasha nodded.

 _"I agree."_ Thesia said. This wasn't your typical army, this was something else. _'Those soldiers...they appear to be very well trained...what in the gods' name is going on here?"_

While they made their way towards the North gate, they took the chance to see just what this...US Army is. Looking around, they saw strange buildings being constructed, monstrosities lifting huge amounts of earth, and many more.

Thesia, Akasha, and Amora couldn't help but be amazed at what they were seeing.

Their eyes then went to a small tent a little ways away from them where a group of children were sitting in perfect rows and columns, and some of those children were humanoids of different kinds.

In front of them was one looked like one of those soldiers holding some kind of book and he appeared to be talking to them with a large black rectangular block behind him

Curious, Thesia, Akasha, and Amora listened in thanks to their enhanced hearing.

"Uh, okay." The soldier began flipping through the pages of his book to find the right words. _"So we're gonna review what you guys learned yesterday so let's do it."_ He turned around and began writing something down on that black surface behind him as the children waited in anticipation.

The man turned around as to let the children see what he just wrote. To put it into perspective, he just wrote "2+2". While some of the kids understood it and began raising fingers to count, the three Bunnies were left dumbstruck.

 _"Okay...anybody know answer?"_

One by one, the kids raised their arms, waving them like crazy to get the man's attention. They were eager to answer the question he just gave them.

Looking around, the soldier took his pick. _"How 'bout you there in the back."_ He pointed to a little humanoid girl which happened to be a young Warrior Bunny.

The moment he called her, she seemed startled and a little scared. At this, the three older Bunnies watched very closely.

Shyly, the girl stood up while she fidgeted and her ears flat. She was nervous because she didn't know if her answer was right or not. And it didn't help that all the other kids were looking at her!

Seeing her a nervous wreck, the soldier tried to calm her down. _"Hey, take it easy."_ He said in a friendly voice. _"Just do what you learned before, I'm sure you'll get the right answer."_

The girl nodded and took a deep breath. _"F-Five?"_ She asked in a weak voice.

 _"It's close, but no."_ The soldier then wrote the correct answer. _"The correct answer is four."_

At this, the little girl was a shaking mess. She got it wrong, that meant she had to be punished. It's what her mother does whenever she makes mistakes so she closed her eyes shut and waited for the inevitable beating.

 _"Okay, so-"_ The soldier stopped in his tracks when he saw the same girl still standing. All shaking and her eyes closed tight. _"Uh, you can take your seat now."_

She didn't budge, just stood there and the soldier could swear there were tears brimming around her eyes. _"Hey, what's wrong, kid?"_

Finally, the little girl spoke. _"I-I got it w-wrong...so...p-please don't h-hurt me..."_ She whimpered, begging for the man in front of her to not hurt her.

The soldier blinked behind his sunglasses and looked at all the other kids. It was plain they were all nervous...do they get punished just because they got something wrong? Well that's bullshit.

 _"I'm not gonna hurt ya', kid. Matter of fact, you almost got it right."_ At what he said, the young girl perked up a little.

 _"R-Really?"_

The soldier nodded. _"Just goes to show you're all learning the basics. And besides, math is not an easy thing to do."_ He shrugged before he turned his head to the side. "I should know." The last part, he spoke under his breath. Memories of the dark times called Calculus flashed in his mind and he shuddered at the thought.

For the first time since class started, the young girl smiled, her ears shooting straight up, and sat down. No one has ever been this nice to her except for her mother.

Seeing the young girl at ease now, the soldier began to write a new equation. _"So, anybody know the answer? Then we'll work on your English."_

Thesia, Akasha, and Amora didn't know what to say at this. They were surprised for the lack of a better term. When that soldier called up a humanoid girl to answer the question, they thought he was going to degrade her, but he didn't. And when the girl got the answer wrong, they expected him to severely punish her...but he didn't. Instead, he basically calmed her down and told her that she did a good job even though she got it wrong.

Humanoids were always discriminated because of their appearance and animalistic natures. They were treated like animals. But here? They were treated with respect. As equals.

Looking around some more, their eyes landed on what looked to be a small courtyard with two strange looking pillars with hoops at each end. And some soldiers moving around in fast movements throwing a ball into those hoops while some were trying to stop the other.

And at the sides were a few children and teens, watching with interest and awe in their eyes.

"Show me what you got, son!" They heard one of the soldiers shouted it before, in a fast and fluid motion, he weaved around his fellow soldiers before he jumped high into the air and threw the ball into the hoop in an admittedly impressive and flashy fashion.

"YEEAAAH!" The man pounded his chest before he was tacked by his teammates. And the children? They were screaming their lungs out at how cool and awesome that was.

A few moments later after everything calmed down, most of the soldiers left while two stayed behind. _"So, anyone wanna learn some moves?"_ And just like that, that kids were right there, eager to learn.

 _"All right, settle down._ " The two soldiers chuckled as the kids started to calm down a little. _"First, we're gonna see how well you guys can shoot the hoop. Line up right here."_ He pointed to a spot fairly close to the hoop.

The kids formed a line but not until there was some fussing about who gets to go first. _"Outta the way! I want to go first!"_ A teen tried to push a younger kid out of his spot.

 _"I was here first!"_ Before things got out of hand, the two soldiers stepped in with stern looks on their faces.

 _"Hey, stop that. Everybody'll get a chance here so stow it."_ One of them said in a scolding tone and the two boys nodded their heads in shame. _"All right. Let's see what you shorties got."_

Stepping back, he passed the ball to the first kid there who barely caught it. The kid looked at the ball and to the hoop. It was so high...can he really do it?

 _"Shoot, man! Like this!"_ The kid watched one of the soldiers placed his hands just above his forehead before pushing one hand upward.

Mimicking the soldier's movement, the young boy threw the ball with all of his strength and the ball went into the hoop. The boy's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree and grinned ear to ear. _"Yeah!"_

 _"Good job, kid."_ The two soldiers clapped in an applauding manner. _"Now, move to the back and let the others take a turn."_

This cycle went on, some were shooting the ball dead on while others missed. But mostly, the kids were having fun.

 _"Wow..."_ All three of the Bunnies breathed out because there was really no words to describe all of this. What this was...they didn't even know what this was.

How can the army that attacked and subjugated Italica be loved by the people? Why were they helping rebuild Italica if they were the reason it was destroyed? Unless...

A new thought came to heir minds. An idea that seemed impossible but they couldn't deny it just yet.

What if this US Army did not attack Italica. What if they defended her?

At first, they didn't want to believe it but after what they just saw... It was so strange. Italica was indeed attacked, that part was obvious, but not by these soldiers as they believed. On the contrary, they protected the town. But why?

This whole situation just raised more questions than answers. What kind of army was this? Why defend Italica? Why help her people?

With all of their dumbfounded musing, they didn't realize they were already at the North gate. They would've kept at it if their horses didn't stop in their tracks.

Thesia, Akasha, and Amora shook their heads slightly before focusing again. Questions can wait. In front of them were four men who looked similar to the soldiers they had passed. The one at the middle of the group had dark skin while the other three had fair complexions.

 _"Are you the men to escort us to the Countess?"_

The dark skinned man nodded. _"Yes, ma'am. If you'd follow us, we'll take you to Countess Myui."_ They turned on their heels and began walking towards the mansion with the three Bunnies following.

The further they went into Italica, the more Thesia, Akasha, and Amora were left speechless. Everywhere they looked, every person they saw just felt...different. Like they were in a whole different Italica.

US soldiers patrolled the streets and the people...they were being nice to them and the soldiers to them. This was so...strange... It was just too good to be true.

After what seemed like years of pure confusion, they were near another checkpoint leading to the mansion. It was heavily guarded by US soldiers with everything heavily fortified and covered so well that Thesia doubted she and her group might make it out without getting pieces of their bodies missing.

Waiting for them was the head maid Kaine and two others they knew very well. Delilah and Mamina. The three of them dismounted from their horses and gave a curt nod to Delilah and Mamina which they returned.

The soldiers at the checkpoint signaled for them to stop. Standard operating procedure, if nothing else.

"Sgt. Foley." One of the soldiers saluted and Foley returned it. "I've been informed already, sir. Though they'll have to surrender their weapons before proceeding."

Foley knew this was coming and he agreed to it. You can never be too careful. Turning to Kaine, Foley asked if she could persuade the them to relinquish their weapons, citing it was just a security measure for safety.

Kaine, though unsure, agreed and told Thesia, Amora, and Akasha to surrender their weapons to the US soldiers.

 _"But...Head Maid, we'll be defenseless."_ Thesia argued. Sure, these soldiers were tact and respectful but that doesn't means she trusts them with her life. Not by a long shot.

 _"Thesia, they can be trusted, I assure you."_ Mamina said. _"You have my word."_

 _"As do I."_ Delilah vouched as well.

They were still skeptical, but they trusted Mamina and Delilah's word, more so for Head Maid Kaine, so they slowly handed their swords and daggers to Sgt. Foley and he placed them into some boxes for safekeeping until they return.

 _"Sgt. Foley has told me that your weapons will be returned to you when you three depart."_ Kaine said, noticing the three's unease at being defenseless. _"Now come, Countess Myui is waiting and I assume you have many questions you wish to be answered."_ With that, Kaine lead them to the mansion with Sgt. Foley and his team following, having received new order to shadow the three new arrivals.

 _"You have questions, so ask them."_ Kaine said while they walked.

 _"Head Maid, what happened here? Who are these soldiers?"_ Amora asked.

 _"A few nights before, Italica was besieged by a large band of crazed brigands. And as you know, with Count Colt presumed dead and most of the soldiers along with him when they went to the gate, Italica was left virtually without defenses."_

They turned a corner as Akasha voiced her piece. _"But isn't Italica protected by the Empire?"_

Kaine sighed. _"Yes, but recent development has left the Imperial Army in shambles. Almost wiped out."_

At this, Thesia and her group's eyes grew as wide as saucers. The Imperial Army...almost wiped out? Who or what could have that much power to defeat - much less wipe out the most powerful army in the continent?

Seeing their great surprise, Mamina decided to speak. _"You haven't heard that the Empire was at war?"_

Thesia shook her head shakily, still unable to believe it. _"N-No, we've heard rumors when we passed some merchants but we dismissed it as crazy talk."_

The humanoid villages didn't come into much contact with others outside the lands of Clan Formal so they were left in the dark at the most recent events. Rumors were plentiful but can't be trusted.

 _"Well, it's true."_ Kaine nodded. _"Almost a year ago, a gate opened in Arnus Hill and the Emperor amassed an invasion force to conquer what lay beyond it. But in that moment, they had angered and unleashed a sleeping giant."_

The way Kaine said it...it made a chill run up Thesia's spine and no doubt to Akasha and Amora. _"What do you mean?"_

 _"Beyond the gate was another nation of immense power. Power to conquer the heavens, power to make the earth shake, and the power to destroy everything in its path, I've seen it with my own eyes. And the Empire just made that nation very angry."_

If it were not for the circumstances, if the Warrior Bunnies had heard that the Empire had unwittingly waged war on a more powerful nation and had their army completely destroyed, they'd join this nation in the fighting. They'd even let the soldiers have their way with them if it meant having revenge on the Empire.

But the circumstances right now were just too confusing and a little scary. Just what kind of country had the power to rival that of even the gods?

 _"And...what is the name of this...country?"_ Amora asked.

Kaine smiled. _"While I do not know of the country's name, I do know the name of their army and I believe you've already met them when you first came here."_

Hearing this, Thesia, Akasha, and Amora gasped. _"You mean..."_

Delilah chuckled. _"Yes, the US Army. The same ones you three have met outside."_

Kaine also explained that it was the US Army that had come to Italica's rescue and had occupied the town. Thesia was about to say something but Kaine elaborated this didn't mean that Italica was subjugated. Saying that slavery was greatly frowned upon the US soldiers.

Mamina and Delilah also explained the stories that had circulated about them, especially the one named as Frost and his team. Of how only ten of them managed to hold off the enemy for hours with their weapons.

And mentioned that one of them had taken an interest to Persia.

Thesia and her group were rather impressed that only ten managed to hold off a thousand men, that they can respect. Imagine their shock when they heard those ten soldiers also managed to blind and cripple a flame dragon.

 _"Are you serious?!"_ Akasha asked, disbelieving what she had heard.

Mamina giggled and nodded. _"Yes, it's true. And you see those soldiers following us? I heard they took off the flame dragon's arm."_

If it was possible for mouths to drop all the way to the floor, their mouths would be at the bottom of the sea right now. It was almost believable that ten soldiers could hold off a thousand enemy combatants - it was extremely difficult but doable.

But to cripple and flame dragon, and take off its arm? That was something truly impossible!

For them, at least.

After a few more questions, and some quiet laughs from Hunter 2-1, they finally made it to the throne room. The doors opened to reveal Countess Myui sitting on her throne.

Hunter 2-1 hanged back and let the others proceed into the throne room as this was a civilian matter.

Thesia, Akasha, and Amora walked in front of her and bowed. _"Thank you for your time, Countess Myui."_

 _"It's all right."_ Myui politely waved it off and the three stood up fully. _"I hope you already know about Italica's situation?"_

 _"Yes, I admit I had my doubts but I see this army is not like the Empire's own."_ Thesia said. It was a surreal experience for her. A seemingly invincible army that doesn't approve of slavery and saw humanoids as equals - even if some of them were a little creeped out? That was something you don't see every day.

Myui smiled and motioned for them to state what their business was.

Thesia went to explain that their village had a shortage of supplies and many were growing hungry. What crops that were left were almost gone and not many prey items were roaming the forests. So they came here to ask for some supplies to bring back.

Naturally, Myui agreed to it and ordered for the supplies to be made ready, but Kaine explained that it would take days to get there by horse. Meaning that some would starve before the supplies were halfway there.

Seeing no choice, Countess Myui turned once again to the US for help. _"Sir, could I please have a moment with you?"_ Countess Myui called out to the Rangers and Sgt. Foley was the one who stepped up.

 _"Yes, Countess Myui?"_

 _"I know I'm asking too much out of you already but...may we request for some of you to transport some supplies to the Warrior Bunnies' village."_ Myui asked nervously, after all she was still eleven years of age.

 _"Let me inform the Colonel."_ Seeing them nod, Sgt. Foley hailed Base Command. "Moses 1, Hunter 2-1. Countess Myui has requested transport for some relief goods to a village not far from here. What do you think, sir?"

"Hunter 2-1, tell them we'll assist."

Sgt. Foley let go of his ear piece and turned to the anxious looking Bunnies and nodded. _"We'll help your people out. Just give us time to prep the transports."_

Countess Myui, Kaine, and especially the five Bunnies present smiled. _"Thank you."_

 ** _*One Hour Later - East Gate*_**

Just outside the East gate was four L-ATVs armed with M134 miniguns and two M1078 Cargo Trucks. The trucks were being loaded with a few dozen sacks of food supplies, clothing, and medical supplies for a relief effort mission.

"Finally we'll get to do something." Ramirez sighed.

"Getting tired of sitting on your ass all day, buddy?" Dunn raised an eyebrow and Ramirez just gave him the fuck you finger.

"And you're one to talk. All you've been doing was fucking around with any girl you see when the Sarge ain't lookin'."

Dunn just shrugged his shoulders. "It passes the time."

Ramirez just shook his head. "So, we gotta go to some village filled with other hot babes so we can give them some supplies?" He said, trying to change the subject.

Dunn nodded as a new batch of supplies were being loaded into the trucks. "That's the gist of it." Ramirez nodded as he loaded some magazines onto his pouches.

Ten minutes later, the supplies were fully loaded with the supplies and were ready to head out and had informed Moses 1 of this and, in turn, had informed the Countess that everything was ready.

In command of this assignment was Sgt. Dunn as Sgt. Foley was busy with other things. With Dunn was a squad of sixteen Rangers, including Cpl. Ramirez. Their orders were to transport the supplies to the Warrior Bunny village which was about twenty clicks to the North East thanks to aerial recon before.

"All right, guys, listen up!" Dunn yelled out and got the attention of his squad. "We got our orders, we're doing delivery on these goodies to some hungry folks up to the North East. Intel says we're clear all the way but arm up and be ready. Huaah?"

"HUAAH!"

"Let's mount up!" The Rangers mounted their vehicles as Thesia, Akasha, and Amora were walking towards those strange carts.

They suggested that they lead the soldiers, or Rangers as they call themselves, to the village. But Sgt. Dunn had said that their... _vehicles_ would outrun their horses in a flash so it would be better to ride with them.

To be truthful, they were a little nervous about riding in such strange things, but if those things were as fast as these Rangers claim they were, then it was for the best.

 _"A-Are you sure about this, Thesia?"_ Akasha whispered nervously as they neared the front L-ATV.

 _"We don't have a choice. If Countess Myui says they can be trusted, then so be it. But I'm still skeptical about their..._ vehicles _."_

The three stopped just outside of the lead L-ATV with its side doors opened. Its rumbling was unnerving, like a sleeping beast ready to pounce if awakened.

From inside the vehicle, Ramirez motioned for them to get in. "C'mon, we don't have all day."

They didn't understand what he said by understood the meaning: get in. But before they could, they heard a very loud rumble out of nowhere.

The three of them looked around frantically as the rumble became louder and louder with each passing second. _"What's going on?!"_

Then some of those Rangers began cheering as they pointed to the sky.

"Give 'em hell!"

"Wipe those fuckers out!"

"Leave some for us, you bastards!"

Thesia, Akasha, and Amora looked at where the Rangers were cheering at and just when they thought they'd seen it all, this army just made them question their sanity.

High in the sky were six giant flying birds of metal, soaring faster than anything they'd ever seen before. Then a loud boom was heard when those...flying swords flew by.

The force of the boom actually made the three take a few steps back.

 _"Am...am I the only one seeing this..?"_ Amora muttered in wide eyed shock as those...things flew away. The only response she got was a slow shake of heads.

Slowly, they climbed on board of the vehicles, still in shock of the wonders of Modern Warfare they had just witnessed. Just imagine their reaction once they witnessed the horrors of it.

"Hmm, part from them being shell shocked, we're ready to go." A Ranger shrugged from his seat.

"Okay, Dunn. Let's roll." Ramirez gave the thumbs up to Dunn and he nodded.

"Moses 1, this is Echelon 2. Guides are all aboard and we're ready to get this show on the road."

"Copy that. You're cleared to move out."

"Roger. Okay boys and girls, let's move out."

The convoy rolled out of the East Gate. Two both at the front and back protected the trucks carrying the precious cargo.

Dunn looked back and saw that the three Bunnies have regained some sense back and chuckled. "Welcome back to the land of the living."

Akasha, regaining some sense back, titled her head in confusion. _"Huh?"_

Ramirez shook his head. "Dunn, you didn't pay attention to those language classes, did ya'?"

"Hell no! I'll take Ranger training over that again. Spanish was hell enough."

Shaking his head, Ramirez turned to the confused Bunnies. _"Uh, he said you guys okay?"_

They nodded slowly. _"It's just...a lot to take in."_ An unknown nation that has an army that dominates the land and air? Yeah, that was really a lot to take in in a single day.

"Salazar, give 'em some water. Looks like they need it." Ramirez said and Salazar nodded, getting out his canteen and passing it to the Bunnies.

"Here you go, ma'am." Salazar held out the canteen and Akasha muttered her thanks before taking a big gulp out of it with Thesia and Amora following suit.

 _"Thank you for the water."_ Thesia said, handing back the canteen to the Ranger who nodded and took it back.

"Dunn, we're outside the outer perimeter. Could use some directions right about now." The diver, Pvt. Green, said and Dunn nodded.

"Ramirez, ask them where their village is." He said and Ramirez nodded.

 _"So, where's your village?"_

Thesia pointed to the North East where a dirt road was. _"Take that dirt road. Follow it all the way to the village."_

"Dunn, there's a dirt road to the North East. She says we follow it all the way until we reach their village."

Dunn cracked his neck. "Roger that." The convoy made its way to the destined dirt road and began to drive up it.

Two hours have passed since the convoy had left Fire Base Iowa for a relief assignment in a nearby village and so far, there wasn't too much trouble to report.

The three Bunnies were a little uncomfortable at first when they got into the vehicles, but soon they calmed down a little. Marveling at how fast and comfy these rides were.

This got some Rangers to chuckle at how they looked. Bouncing on the chairs and all. Not to mention the very noticeable bounce of their...assets.

THAT won't leave their minds any time soon.

But soon, they met a problem.

"Sarge, I got smoke coming from just beyond that hill." The driver, Cpl. Watkins, said and Dunn looked dead ahead to see sizable plumes of smoke.

"I see it. Get us over that hill, let's see what's what."

"Wilco."

The convoy started to make its way up the hill and by that time everyone, especially Thesia, Akasha, and Amora, had noticed the smoke. And were getting worried.

When they reached the top of the hill...

 _"The village!"_ Amora cried out at what had become of her home. Houses were smoking and destroyed, the fields were ash, and bodies of Bunnies and men littered the ground.

Realizing that the situation just got a whole lot more complicated and dire, Dunn cursed. "Shit! Watkins, get us over there now!" Watkins did just that and the vehicle roared down the hill at full speed followed by the rest of the convoy.

Thesia was worried. Her home was destroyed and her fellow Warrior Bunnies were either injured or dead. But her worries lay on one thing. _'Delia, please be okay.'_

The convoy entered the village and immediately started to pour out of the victors. "Secure the area and check the wounded!" Dunn ordered as he and some of his guys began to tend to the injured while the rest secured the area.

Ramirez spotted one of the Bunnies with them run off to a far house and called out to her. _"Hey, wait up!"_ When she didn't stop, he cursed and went after her.

Thesia burst through the doors of a hut and began searching frantically for the one thing she had left. _"Delia! Delia, where are you?!"_ She called out but there was no answer. Her fear grew with each passing second as she ransacked the house for any sign of her daughter.

 _"_ _Delia, answer me!"_ Thesia screamed out before dashing to the last room she hasn't checked yet. Entering the room, her daughter's room, Thesia stopped dead in her tracks when she saw what happened to her daughter.

Delia was strapped to her bed, badly beaten and naked. Her body was covered with cuts and bruises, and the seed of multiple men. Her face was that of horror.

And the worst part is she was just a little girl. Only twelve years old.

Thesia walked to her daughter, unable to take her off of her daughter. Delia...her young daughter...violated to death... Kneeling by her daughter's side, she slowly placed a shaky hand on Delia's head.

 _"...Delia..."_ Thesia sobbed out, tears threatening to spill at the sight of her daughter. Carefully, she closed the eyes of her daughter and cried.

In her sorrow at the death of her daughter, Theisa failed to notice the sound of footsteps coming towards her.

Ramirez gently treaded through the ransacked structure with his FN SCAR-H at the ready. Going further, the Ranger heard what seemed to be crying. _"Thesia, you all right?"_ He called out, making his way towards the crying.

He peered into the room and saw Thesia kneeling in front of a corpse of a child. Ramirez could tell what had been done to the poor child and he guessed Thesia was the mother.

Lowering his weapon, Ramirez tipped his helmet in respect. "Que encuentres la paz que se merece, hija." He muttered silently, letting Thesia mourn for her daughter.

After a few minutes, Ramirez took a spare sheet off the ground and made his way towards the body where Thesia was still crying. "I'm sorry this happened to you, kid." Ramirez covered the body up and turned to a distraught Thesia and placed a hand on her shoulder.

 _"_ _I'm sorry for your loss."_ He said and gave her a gentle squeeze. She gave a shaky nod and Ramirez pulled out his knife and cut the ropes on the girl's hands and carefully carried bridal style her outside with Thesia silently following.

Coming outside, Ramirez and Thesia walked to where the wounded were being treated and placed Delia's body with other deceased.

While Thesia tended to her daughter's body, Ramirez went to help the others.

Dunn was tending to a wounded girl. She had a nasty cut on her leg but she'd live. "You're gonna be okay. We got you."

"Dunn!" The said Ranger turned to see Ramirez coming towards him. "What the hell happened here?"

"I don't know, man. Akasha and Amora are trying to find out what happened but it's gonna take time to sort this shit out." Dunn sighed as he treated an injured young Bunny.

"I'll get guys to unload some meds." Ramirez said and Dunn nodded. "Danny, Kenneth! Let's get the meds out!"

"You got it!"

Half an hour later, the convoy had done all it can for the village but a few didn't make it due to how badly they were injured. Dunn wanted answers but he needed at least one of them to tell him just what the fuck happened here.

His guys had unloaded some of the supplies and were treating the injured and questioned those that weren't.

Akasha, Amora, and Thesia did what they could to help, and had asked their fellow Bunnies of what happened.

 _"_ _You got anything for us?"_ Ramirez asked Thesia who was talking to the survivors. She was still hurting at the loss of her daughter, but she can mourn later.

 _"_ _From what I gathered, the village was attacked hours ago by a band of men and took some of us to be sold as slaves."_ She turned to a sleeping woman who had her arm chopped off. _"They fought hard, but with the lack of food, they were weakened."_

Ramirez nodded and turned to Dunn. "A group of men attacked the village maybe a few hours ago. Took a bunch of girls and were going to sell them as slaves."

Dunn wiped the sweat from his forehead. "How many did they take?"

 _"_ _How many?"_

Thesia sighed. _"At least a dozen. With many of us wounded, we can't mount a rescue. Not in the state we're in."_

"A dozen. What do we do, Dunn?" Ramirez asked.

"I don't know, dude. But I know we can't just sit here and do fucking nothing about this." Dunn stood up and put on his helmet. "Ask where those slavers went, we're mounting a rescue."

Ramirez smirked and nodded and Dunn went outside to relay his new orders. _"Listen, we're going to get your friends back. We need to know where they went."_

Hearing this, Thesia couldn't help but smile at the Ranger. They were really not like the Empire. _"Thank you."_ Truly, she was.

While she and Ramirez worked on getting a fix on the slavers heading, Dunn saw to it to inform command of the situation. "Moses 1, this is Echelon 2. Do you read?"

"Echelon 2, we read ya'. Has the supplies been delivered?"

"Affirmative, sir. But we've encountered a situation here."

"What kind of situation?"

"The village was attacked by an unknown hostile group. Many were injured or killed and at least a dozen were taken prisoner. Request permission to initiate Search and Rescue, over." Dunn just hoped this would be granted.

"Echelon, do whatever you have to to get those people back home."

"Roger that, out."

With his request granted and authorized, Dunn called the attention of his troops. "All right guys, we got ourselves a situation here. This village was attacked by slavers and took about a dozen captive. We're gonna find them and bring those girls back home. Any of you wanna back out?"

"No way in hell am I gonna let these animals get away with this, Dunn. I'm with ya' on this one." Watkins said that the rest of the Rangers shared.

"Good. McKnight, I'm gonna leave five guys and one of the vehicles with ya'. Defend this village and distribute those supplies to these poor bastards. The rest's with me in a little hunting trip. Huaah?"

"HUAAH!"

While six Rangers stayed to safeguard and distribute the much needed goods to the population, the rest of Echelon 2 were prepping to go hunting.

This pointless attack would not go unpunished.

Salazar gave a dry run for the mini guns and were satisfied that they were one hundred percent operational. "Sarge, mini guns are primed and ready for action."

Dunn gave a thumbs up. "Fuckin' A, and just in time too." Just as he said that, Ramirez along with Thesia, Akasha, and Amora were jogging to the victors position. Finally the hunt can begin. "What's the play?"

"Word is they're heading West. Turns out these motherfuckers are Imps trying to make a quick buck by selling the ones they took as slaves behind enemy lines. The Bunnies confirmed this."

The situation just went from complicated to simple as fuck. With the enemy being confirmed Imperials, the US Rangers had every right to shoot on sight should they not surrender.

"Nice work, dude. And what about them?" Dunn pointed to the three behind Ramirez. They looked pissed and ready to tear some poor fool's head off. They want payback.

"They want in. Thesia's daughter got raped to death, and Akasha and Amora's younger sister's been ripped to shreds. These bitches want blood."

"And they'll get it." Dunn nodded to the three, signifying they were free to come along to which they returned the nod. "Saddle up! Let's go huntin'!"

Ramirez turned to the three. _"Let's smoke these bastards."_

 _"Ranger, lead the way."_

Riding just a few miles West of the Warrior Bunny village were the one responsible. A fairly sizeable group of about thirty Imperial combatants were marching back to the Capital with their spoils.

Namely the ones they took from the village.

 _"_ _That was the most fun I had in a long time!"_ One laughed as the other joined in on their sick boasting.

 _"_ _Yeah, and I really enjoyed my time with that kid."_ Another said with a sick grin. _"Too bad she died before I can satisfy myself."_

 _"_ _Yeah, but we got these whore to ourselves before we sell them."_ An officer on horseback came up to the cage carrying their spoils and harshly pulled on a little girl's ear, making her squeal. _"Oooh, this one's got a mouth on her. I can definitely have fun with you."_

The girl tried to grab her ears but the man's grip was too strong. _"Please, let go! It hurts!"_ She pleaded but all she got were maniacal laughs from her captors.

 _"_ _Ha! Not until we have some fun!"_ The man savagely punched her in the face, knocking her unconscious and laughed to himself.

Unknown to them, they were being watched.

"Sarge, I got a visual on the target. Approximately five hundred meters to our front, thirty guys, and the package at the center. They look pretty banged up. We need to move now." Salazar withdrew from his binoculars and manned the mini gun.

"You heard the man. Let's rock and roll!" Dunn cocked his weapon. "CHARGE TO CONTACT!"

The victors roared to life and thundered their way towards the hostile group.

Ramirez grabbed the mike for the speakers. _"This is the United State Army! We have you surrounded! Release the hostages or we will use deadly force!"_

The Imperials heard the message before turning to the source. Their eyes widened when they saw massive metal carts coming their way fast and some of them began to panic

 _"_ _Shit! It's them!"_

 _"_ _What're we gonna do?!"_

 _"_ _Shut up and attack! Charge!"_ The officer took out his sword and kicked his horse to meet with the enemy that dared to challenge the Empire. He was followed by most of his men on horseback, roaring to kill the barbarians that killed their friends.

But what they didn't know was that they were the barbarians. They were the savages. They were the animals! And a rabid animal were mean to be put down.

"Sir, hostiles chargin' in!" Pvt. Green said over the radio.

"Light 'em up!"

At Dunn's orders, the mini guns began to spin their six barrels before a torrent of hot 7.62mm anti-personnel rounds gushed out of them and all concentrated on the animals coming at them.

Watching from the back, Thesia, Akasha, and Amora could only watch in pure astonishment and slight fear at what these Rangers could really do.

Right before their eyes, the Imperial soldiers coming at them were being torn apart by the fires of their strange weapons. The screams of agony echoed through the air as chunks of flesh were being blown off.

The mini guns finally halted their fire and left behind their gruesome work. What was left of the soldiers were now only smoking heaps of flesh and blood

Looking back, they continued to stare at the grizzly work done by the Rangers. Such brutality in a short time. They were really a force to be reckoned with.

"Targets destroyed!" Salazar reported and looked at the remaining enemies trying desperately to escape their grasp. "Sir, their trying to escape!"

"Like hell they are!" Dunn ordered his men to encircle the remaining enemies and block their way out.

When there was absolutely no way for escape, the Rangers stormed out of their vehicles and rounded up the remaining hostiles that surrendered and eliminated those that still resisted.

"Get down, you fuckers! Hand where we can see them!"

"On your knees now or I'll fuckin' shoot you in the head!"

"Down on your knees!"

The remaining Imperial soldiers, not long ago were bragging about their conquest, were now kneeling in front of their captors, begging for their lives.

 _"_ _Please, we surrender! Take those whore if you want, just don't kill us!"_

 _"_ _Just let us go and we'll give you the humanoids. They're still fresh and virgins, I swear by Emroy!"_

"SHUT THE FICK UP!" A Ranger, Pvt. Perez, roared out. And bashed a soldier's head with his weapon. Having enough of these animals talking and basically insulting them.

It was bad enough that these Imperials raided a town and took some as prisoners, but now they had the goddamn balls to hand them off as a bargaining chip?!

Shutting up, the Imperials did the only sensible thing they had left. "We got these bastards covered, Dunn!" Perez called out as Dunn, Ramirez, Thesia, Amora, and Akasha walked to the encaged Warrior Bunnies while the rest of the rescue force secured the area.

Dunn and Ramirez took off their helmets and holstered their weapons to show they mean no harm to the frightened Bunnies. _"Easy, we're here to help."_

 _"_ _No! Stay back!"_ One shouted in fear as they all backed away from the Rangers.

The two wisely backed off. These girls were really frightened. Most of them had bruises and cuts, one was bleeding in the head, and one was lying motionless in the arms of another.

 _"_ _We can't help them if they won't let us get near them. Can you calm 'em down?"_ Ramirez asked Thesia who immediately nodded.

The three Bunnies walked up to the cage and saw the state of their fellow Warrior Bunnies. Their clothes were all ripped and dirtied with soil and blood. Numerous cuts and large bruises adorned their bodies and some had serious injuries that needed to be looked at. They were all young kids that were scared out of their minds, but Thesia had to calm them down or they'll not get the help they need.

 _"_ _You can trust them, young ones. They're not like the ones that took you from your homes, they can help."_ Thesia said kindly, the tone she used when her deceased daughter was still alive.

After a few minutes of talking, the young Bunnies were calm enough to let Dunn and Ramirez to the cage.

"We're gonna get you out, just hold tight." Dunn said in a friendly voice and pulled out his side arm and took aim at the lock. A shot rang out, making the Bunnies jump and huddled together.

Ramirez opened the cage door and held out his hand. _"C'mon, we'll get you fixed up and back home. We won't hurt you."_ He said lightly.

After what seemed like years, one girl took the initiative to go forward despite the protest of those with her. Hesitantly, she reached out her hand to the man's hand. When her hand was in the man's hand, he slowly closed it and gave her a reassuring smile.

 _"_ _I got ya', kid. You're gonna be okay."_ Ramirez gently lifted her out of the cage and set her down on the ground and knelt down to her level. _"Go with her, she'll get you fixed up, okay?"_ The girl gave a shaky nod before going towards Akasha to be treated.

Seeing that they truly meant no harm, more of the imprisoned Bunnies began to take the Ranger's offers of help. Almost all of the Bunnies were off to get treated for their injuries except for two. One was lying motionless while the other was cradling her sobbing.

Dunn and Ramirez cursed before jumping on the cage to check up on her condition. Thesia saw this and quickly came back to the cage.

"Fuck! Ramirez, we gotta get her outta here!" Dunn commanded in urgency as he and Ramirez carried the two girls out of there and ran to the medics.

"MEDIC! Carmine, get over here now!" Dunn roared as he neared the victors carrying the gravely injured girl.

"Sir, what happened?!" Sgt. Carmine, one of the medics asked as Dunn laid the girl down on the ground.

"She's got a deep puncture wound on her right side and bleeding profusely, a severe head injury, and a high fever. Patch her up as best you can" Dunn instructed and Carmine nodded as he worked on the girl.

There was nothing he could do for the girl now so Dunn backed off and turned to Ramirez, having dropped off the girl he was carrying to the medics, and Thesia who was looking at the young girl in worry. "How's she?"

Before Dunn could answer, Carmine suddenly yelled out. "Dunn, we're losing her!" Dunn, Ramirez, and Thesia came running to the medic's side as he began CPR on the child.

"Hold on, kid! You're gonna be okay!" Carmine proceeded to give her mouth-to-mouth to get some air in her lungs. "C'mon, don't you die on me, kid!"

Thesia held the child's hand, hoping to the gods that she'd live as Dunn and Ramirez prayed to God that this kid will pull through.

After ten minutes of continuous administration of CPR, Carmine stopped and checked the child's pulse. Sighing, he looked at Dunn with solemn eyes and shook his head.

The girl was gone. Her injuries were too great for her.

Dunn and Ramirez silently cursed as Thesia gave the deceased child's hand a farewell squeeze. "Get her in a body bag, Sgt. Carmine. No one gets left behind."

"Roger that, sir." Sgt. Carmine gently lifted her body and walked to the nearest L-ATV.

When the girls were patched up and stable enough for travel, Dunn has his guys to load them up on the vehicles. But that still left the Imperials.

Walking towards them, Dunn, together with Ramirez, Thesia, Akasha, and Amora could only stare coldly at them. Coldly for the two Ranger but pure rage for the three.

"Sir, what do we do with them?" Perez asked, levelling his weapon on their prisoners.

Oh, Dunn and Ramirez would love nothing more than to fill them up with hot lead and leave them to rot. But the three with them had a bigger beef with them.

Turning to the three Bunnies, Ramirez and Dunn pulled out their knives and handed them to Thesia and Amora.

"Make it quick." Ramirez said before he and the Rangers pulled back as to let them finish their work.

Thesia held the knife in her hand tightly, while glaring dangerously at the tied up Imperials. Images of her daughter's battered and violated state entered her mind. The same could be said for Akasha and Amora when they saw their youngest sister's body torn limb from limb.

 _"_ _NO, GET AWAY YOU FILTHY WHORES – AAAAAAAHHHH!"_

When the three women got back, they were covered in blood and tears stained their faces. It was probably best that they were left alone.

"Move out."

Forty three minutes later, the rescue force had returned to the village and dropped off the ones they rescued. A lot of people died in the attack but Echelon 2 arrived just in time to help which was greatly appreciated by the Warrior Bunnies, especially when they received the supplies they needed.

On the makeshift graveyard was Thesia standing over the grave of her daughter. She was a strong woman, a warrior's blood flowed through her veins. But she was still a mother.

Though she appeared calm, it was obvious that she has been crying. _"Delia, I'm…I'm sorry mommy didn't protect you."_ She said, trying hard not to cry again. _"I…I hope you can forgive me for not protecting you from those…pigs."_

Kneeling down on the ground and placed a hand on her daughter's grave. She didn't say anything, she couldn't even utter one word anymore. Tears began to well up in her eyes again as she stroked the soil from which her daughter now rested.

 _"_ _This a bad time?"_ A voice asked from behind her.

 _"_ _Is there any reason why you're here, Ranger?"_ She asked back, standing up and facing the one who asked her. It was Pvt. Ramirez.

 _"_ _Just payin' my respects."_ He looked at the grave of her daughter. _"How're you holdin' up?"_

Thesia narrowed her eyes at him. _"What are you getting at?"_ She asked dangerously, her hand drifting closer to her sword. An action that Ramirez noticed.

 _"_ _If you pull out that sword, all you'll get is a bullet to the head, Thesia."_ Ramirez warned, his hand on his side-arm. He really didn't want to shoot a grieving mother, but if she left him no choice…

A fierce stare down occurred between the two seasoned warriors. One was a Warrior Bunny who had lost her only daughter. The other was an elite military operative of the United States Military. Neither of them backed down until finally, Thesia dropped her hand to her side and turned away.

 _"_ _I…apologize. I had no…idea what came over me."_ Thesia muttered out.

Ramirez knew what she was going through. He'd seen it in the Russo-American War. Parents and children grieving over their deceased families. And Thesia was no different.

 _"_ _It's okay."_ Ramirez came up beside her. _"Look, just wanted to let you know that we're leaving. Take care of yourself, Tes."_ Ramirez turned to leave but Thesia stopped him.

 _"_ _Wait."_ Ramirez stopped but he didn't turn. _"Before you go, tell me your name."_

"Ramirez."

 _"_ _Thank you, Ramirez."_

 _"_ _You're welcome."_ With his piece said, Ramirez left Thesia to her own devices.

 ** _AFTER THE DEPARTURE OF RECON TEAM 1 AND BANDIT 1-5_** ** _EN ROUTE TO FORT ARNUS CARRYING PRIORITY CAPTIVES, THREE WARRIOR BUNNIES CAME TO ITALICA REQUESTING COUNTESS MYUI'S ASSISTANCE. UPON HER REQUEST, COL. HENDRICKS AGREED TO PROVIDE SECURITY AND TRANSPORT FOR THE SUPPLIES IN HOPES OF ESTABLISHING GOOD RELATIONS WITH THE WARRIOR BUNNIES. UNDER THE COMMAND OF SGT. DUNN, THE CONVOY, DESIGNATED AS ECHELON 2, SET OUT TO THE NORTH EAST. UPON ARRIVAL, THE VILLAGE WAS DECIMATED WITH MANY CIVILIANS EITHER DEAD OR INJURED. ECHELON 2 DID WHAT THEY COULD TO ASSIST. UPON LEARNING THAT IMPERIAL FORCES HAD BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR THE RAID AND HAD TAKEN AT LEAST A DOZEN YOUNG WARRIOR BUNNIES PRISONER, SGT. DUNN REQUESTED FIRE BASE COMMAND TO LAUNCH A SEARCH AND RESCUE. COMMAND HAD AUTHORIZED THE REQUEST. LEAVING A SMALL CONTINGENT BEHIND TO SAFEGUARD THE VILLAGE AND UNLOAD THE RELIEF SUPPLIES, THE REST OF ECHELON 2 AND THE THREE WARRIOR BUNNY EMISSARIES, IDENTIFIED AS THESIA, AKASHA, AND AMORA, GAVE CHASE TO RECOVER THE PRISONERS FROM ENEMY HANDS. THE RESCUE WAS A SUCCESS BUT A YOUNG GIRL DIED FROM HER INJURIES._**

 ** _REALTIONS WITH THE HUMANOID COMMUNITY HAS INCREASED._**

 ** _REPORT COMPLETE_**

 ** _AN: I'_** ** _m back, guys. Now, I know this chapter took a long time to get out, nearly four months or so, but I have my reasons. Check the last chapter of Prophetic Fate and you'll see._**

 ** _Also, I'm having doubts about writing the torture scene because let's be real here. Those knight think they're this elite bunch of soldiers but what they really are just a bunch of kids playing dress-up. They wouldn't last three hours of Enhanced Interrogation – Gray might but the type of torture he's accustomed to is physical while the CIA fucks up your mind and shit. I don't know, but' I'll give it a try._**

 ** _And another thing, I'm here to announce that three new stories will be shipped out on the near future. A Call of Duty X Assassin's Creed, One-Punch Man X Fairy Tail, and One-Punch Man X Frozen._**

 ** _Oh yeah, I forto about this one. The winner of the pairing contest, at last is...RORY MERCURY!_**

 ** _That's it for now. Knight Out._**


	11. Chapter 11

_**GATE: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri and Call of Duty crossover.**_

"Oscar Mike" - English

 _'Oscar Mike' - Thoughts_

 _"Oscar Mike" - Whatever language these people speak_

 _ **Chapter XI – A New Assignment**_

From the under brush, a four man fireteam of US soldiers lay in waiting in front of a two story structure. "Target building in sight. Oscar's got the North entrance. Sierra, you in position?"

At the Southern end of the structure, another fireteam was hidden in the vegetation. "Roger that."

"Command, Oscar 1-1. In position and ready to commence operation. Are all assets in play?"

"Roger, Oscar. Archer and Falcon are in position, and Big Bird is standing by to extract, over."

Four hundred meters away, overlooking the West and East side of the compound were two snipers. Callsigns Archer and Falcon. "Archer, ready."

"Falcon is green."

"Oscar, this is Big Bird. Standing by at a safe distance."

With the perimeter secured, and everything in place, the operation can now begin. No one was going in or out of this building without them noticing a whisper. The objective was clear: breach the structure on two sides, eliminate any and all hostile elements, detain the high value target, then extract from the area. All within the shortest time possible.

Textbook snatch and grab.

"Move in. Stack up, breach and clear." Coming out from the vegetation, the two teams quickly moved to the entrances located on each side of the structure. Archer and Falcon providing armed overwatch.

"Ready." The teams reported in as they placed breaching charges on the wooden doors and walls. They were ready to get this show on the road.

"On my mark...Hit it!"

Two simultaneous explosions were heard as the charges made quick work of the wood and splinters flew everywhere. Not a second later, the US teams poured into the holes they punched through with their weapons ready to kill.

Time seems to slow down for them. They could hear and see their heartbeats as their vision increased the details around them. Two tangos on the left, four on the right, one on the far side. They did what they do best and that was clean and quick kills.

Quickly and efficiently, they put down their targets with two bullets. One through the head and one through the heart. There was no hesitation.

"First floor clear." Sierra reported.

"Sierra, watch our six. Oscar, second floor, sweep and clear." While Sierra took up watch for any enemy reinforcements, Oscar took it up stairs where the target was located.

Oscar stopped at the corridor containing five rooms. Two on each side and one at the far center. "Snipers, do you have eyes on?"

"First door on the left. I got the target in my sight." Falcon said as he aimed his rifle at the target location. "Be advised, three tangos are watching him."

"Roger that, Falcon. Stack up, let's finish this." Oscar team hugged the walls around the door and placed a breaching charge on the door. This was it, the target was to be taken alive at all costs. Anyone else...not so much.

The breaching charge detonated and Oscar stormed through and quickly dispatched the three tangos, leaving the target alone and alive.

"On your knees! Get in the ground!" Oscar lead grabbed the HVT and sent him to the ground, restraining his hands and putting a bag over his head.

"Command, target is in the bag. Request pick-up, over."

"Affirmative. Big Bird is inbound, get to the extraction point and we'll handle the rest."

"Wilco. Let's move out!" Oscar lifted up the HVT and made their way downstairs. "Sierra, we got the package. Head to the extraction point."

"Copy."

The two teams made their way towards the extraction point on a nearby clearing two hundred meters to the South West, making sure to protect the target on every side. Once at the clearing, they met up with Falcon and Archer.

They could hear the distinct sonic booms of a helo's rotors, a telltale sign that extraction was near. "Big Bird, we're in position."

"Roger. Heads up boys, coming in from the West." Not a minute later, a V-22 Osprey zoomed in and hovered over them. The VTOL landed in front of them and lowered the ramp. "Move, get on board!"

"Let's go! Let's go! Get your asses in the bird!" The soldiers piled into the Osprey as quickly as possible before enemy reinforcements arrive.

"Eagles on board, let's get the hell outta here!"

"With pleasure." The Osprey began to ascend and pull away from the area. "Overlord, this is Big Bird. Package's secured, returning to base, over."

"Copy that. Great work, teams. That's a new record, two minutes and thirty seven seconds." Command chuckled and the teams yelled out their approval.

"Fuck yeah!"

Oscar lead walked to the restrained target and cut off the binds. "What do you think, sir?" He pulled off the bag to reveal a face with young and sharp features. The target's hair was messy and somewhat long, partially covering his eyes. His eyes were a shade of blue that one might mistake for silver.

The man lifted his head to Oscar lead with that smirk and looked at him in the eye.

"Out-fucking-standing."

 _ ***Ten Minutes Later - Fort Arnus***_

"Control, this is Big Bird. Checking in at heading North North-West at sixty three degrees, request permission to land." The Osprey pilot flew by the Arnus airfield where quite a few aircrafts were all lined up and circled around in a holding pattern.

"Big Bird, copy. Permission granted, Proceed to landing pad X-ray 9."

"Roger that. Approaching landing pad X-ray 9."

The Osprey made its approach to the designated landing pad and began the descend. Touching down, the pilots began shutting down the aircraft as maintenance crews stood by.

"Have a nice day, ya'll." The pilot opened the ramp to let the soldiers get on their merry way.

"Thanks for the lift, Fred." Once the ramp was lowered, the soldiers stepped right out and their faces were revealed.

It was Recon Team 1.

Frost was the first to get off the VTOL aircraft with his usual sunglasses, followed by his team. He was pleased by his team's performance during that training exercise, even managing to set a new record.

"Excellent work today, team." Frost turned to address his subordinates. "Now get your gear back to the armory, and get cleaned up. The rest of the day's free as you see fit." He gave a rare smile and his team nodded.

"Sir, yes, sir!" They saluted before going on to check in their gear and get some R&R. After what happened for the past days, they deserved the rest.

Frost breathed in a refreshing amount of air before going about his own business. With him back at base, he had a lot of paperwork and logistics to do. He had no problem with paperwork, but what he did had a problem with was the sheer amount it's gonna be.

After dropping off his gear, Frost made his way to the offices and groaned when he saw the stacks of paperwork on his desk.

No wonder Sandman hated this shit since day one.

It had been over five months since US forces entered the gate and established a base of operations. And since then, they were virtually unbeatable. Everything that was thrown at them, were either reduced to chunks of meat or piles of ash. The US had total control over the battlefield - on land and in the air.

And it wasn't long before news of their exploits began to spread.

During the first days of the US invasion and the subsequent slaughters at their hands, the lucky few that had survived told stories of the horrors they had seen at Arnus Hill. Noting the unparalleled brutality and the unrivaled power the enemy possessed.

It was even supported when the Allied Armies sent to fight this new power numbering almost half a million was butchered to a frightening ten thousand...in under three days. And what's even more scary is their mastery of the skies.

Because of this, the people feared what this new army was. Thinking it was worse than the Empire.

But all of that changed at the actions of the Recon Teams, specifically Recon Team 1 in rescuing the village of Koda after being overrun by Imperials. More so after they had crippled the feared flame dragon and agreed to take in some refugees.

In the coming days, US forces began reaching out to the indigenous population, giving them much needed supplies and aid after learning that their so called Empire was slowly killing them off through scorched earth tactics.

Though reluctant to accept help from an enemy of the Empire, slowly other villages came to accept the help.

Not long after, the Italica Crisis broke out and Recon Team 1 led by Lt. Derek 'Frost' Westbrook, a decorated Delta Operator, by sheer good or bad luck happened to stumble on it.

Following standard operating procedure, Recon Team 1 kept their distance from the besieged town but close enough to be seen. Just when the squad was going to announce their intentions, they were suddenly attacked.

Recon Team 1 retaliated by destroying the heavy emplacements and demanded the defenders to stand down or be fired upon.

After entering the town and a tense standoff, Recon Team 1 had agreed in defending the town after being requested by Princess Pina Co Lada, a high ranking member of the Empire. She had made Frost's job easier when she unwittingly told him of Italica's importance to the enemy war machine.

Frost had informed Overlord of the development and seeing this as an opportunity, Gen. Hannibal Morrison, the commander of the US invasion force, assembled a Task Force under the command of Col. Marshall Hendricks.

Recon Team 1 held off the enemy just long enough for the task force to arrive and finish off the rest. After negotiations went broke down, Pina Co Lada, having witnessed just how powerful the US Army was, had no choice but to surrender.

But contrary to what the people believed, the US didn't subjugate the. Instead, they helped them repair their homes. From that point on, stories began to circulate about the US as, not monsters they were once made to be, but as heroes.

Far and wide, merchants and travelers began spreading the tales of the heroic deeds of the United States Army.

"Yo, Derek. You here?" Frost heard someone calling out but didn't bother looking up. He wanted this done ASAP.

"Yeah, over here." The Delta Operator Waved his hands before setting them back down to scribble on the paper. He heard footsteps coming up to him and looked up. "What do you want, Pete?"

Sergeant Major Peter Callahan was member of the US 1st Infantry Division and childhood friend of Lt. Frost. They enlisted together when they were old enough and both served in the Big Red 1 until Frost was offered a position in the 75th Ranger Regiment. But the two kept in touch, even after Frost was inducted into Delta Force's ranks.

"Eh, just wanted to see how my old pal's doin'. You've become quite the big shot here, huh? How come I didn't get an invite to join Delta?"

Frost smirked and shook his head. "Probably because your lazy ass won't survive the first day." Frost put down the pen and looked at his old friend. "So, how's the wife and kid doin'?"

Pete just smiled at the thought of his wife and young son. "They're good, man, thanks for asking. Mike just had his first trip to the dentist and Debbie sent me a photo." Pete took out his phone and showed it to Frost.

It showed a beautiful woman with chestnut hair holding a teary eyes boy holding his cheek, probably had one of his tooth pulled. Frost chuckled. "That boy can't handle his sweets."

"Yeah, because you keep sending candy his way." Pete shoved his phone back in his pocket. "And I just got back from the phone with Debbie." Pete couldn't contain his grin.

Frost raised and eyebrow. "Oh? What'd she talk about?"

Pete just smiled the smile every loving husband does whenever he hears this. "She's pregnant! We're gonna have another baby!"

The Lieutenant immediately congratulated his friend with a hand shake. "Congratulations, man. I'm happy for you." It wasn't long when the others with them congratulated the soon to be dad.

"Thanks." Pete nodded. "And why don't you go find a girl of your own, Rek? With all the sexy chicks here, some of them must've caught your sunglassed eyes."

Yeah, this place did have beautiful women with...interesting features but Frost wasn't interested in a relationship. Not now, anyway.

"Nah, I'm good."

Pete smirked. "Really? So, what's this I'm hearin' 'bout a goth flirting with ya'?" He almost laughed when the ever stoic Frost did a double take.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Pete held his hands up. "Hey, I ain't judgin' you for your taste in women. I just didn't think you'd be into little girls is all." Now Pete busted a gut and even a few officers with them snickered when the mostly serious Frost's jaw dropped.

"That's bullshit and you know it, Callahan!" Frost shouted while they all just laughed even harder.

Controlling his laughter, Pete just waved it off. "I'm playing, I'm just fucking with ya'. But onto business." Pete's face grew serious. "Gen. Morrison has requested you meet him in his office in fifteen minutes."

Frost nodded. "Fifteen minutes, got it."

Pete saluted and Frost returned it but didn't leave. "So...is she at least legal? I know this thing called lollis them Japanese talks about and they say those girls look way younger than they are."

Frost groaned in irritation and embarrassment when all the other officers were snickering. He loved Pete like a brother, but he was reminded why he also hated him.

Pete's big ass mouth.

 _ ***Same Time - Refugee Encampment***_

It had been a while since the US had been authorized to take in refugees and life was good here.

Ever since Recon Team 1 had brought in the first batch of refugees in their first run, refugee numbers had grown from only about a dozen to about fifty men, women, and children who had nothing left.

At first, it was a rocky start, but over time and a little encouragement from Rory, Lelei, Cato, and a reluctant Tuka, the people began to see that these soldiers were not here to make their lives even more miserable, but to help them back on their feet.

In fact, they hadn't even expected that they'd live in suck comfortable necessities. Shelter, clean water, good food, security, basic education, it was far more than they could ask for. Even letting them collect the scales from the hundreds of dragons littering the fields.

Eventually, the refugees had a stable income of selling dragon scales. It was a booming industry. And hoped to start a small community somewhere preferably close to Fort Arnus or US territory seeing as only the incredibly stupid or suicidal would attack this powerful force.

But for now, they were more than comfortable to stay here until they were ready to stand up again.

In the present, a certain gothic demigoddess was strolling around the camp. Rory had nothing else to do, having prayed already and did all that was needed, she just figured a little stroll wouldn't hurt.

The last days were interesting to her. In just three days, Rory had seen what this Army was truly capable of. The mere thought made her grin in glee.

Truly, this was a force not to be trifled with but this army also knew compassion and kindness. A trait not shared by the Empire who would rather regard those below them as playthings. But here...everyone was treated equally.

Rory may be a blood thirsty psychopath, but she did have a heart and a sense of justice that was why she helped those in need any chance she got.

The demigoddess smiled when she saw some kids playing with those...what did Frost call them...oh, K9 units.

One of the kids turned and saw Rory, and waved at her. _"Oracle, come play with us!"_

True, Rory may be over nine hundred years old, but she had a soft spot for children...and playing. _"Okay!"_ She chirped happily, setting down her halberd by a nearby tree before skipping towards them.

The K9, a female German Shepard, spotted someone approaching and looked at her curiously, tilting her head. Her first instinct was to growl and protect the kids she was playing with, but there was something about this girl. And judging by how the kids seemed to see her as a friend, this girl maybe friendly and wanted to play as well.

They were talking about something. What it was, she didn't know because it wasn't english.

Taking tentative steps forwards, the German Shepard looked at the girl in the eyes and sniffed. Yep, she smelled human but there was something off with her. The strange girl reached out her hand to her snout and the dog sniffed at it, contemplating if she should let her touch her.

After a few seconds, the German Shepard licked the girl's hand, causing a little squeak in surprise. Then the girl's hand came to scratch her right ear. _'Okay, she's good. Must play!'_

Giving out a bark of approval, the German Shepard pounced the girl and began licking her face in thanks for the ear rub.

Rory laughed when the dog was licking her face. The dog got off her and lowered her head to the ground while her rear end stood up, tail wagging.

Giggling, Rory and the other kids began to play with the dog while the dog's caretaker and trainer just stood and watched.

After a while of playing, the trainer had to call his companion back and the dog obeyed but not before giving the kids a little lick as a goodbye.

The kids were all sweaty but had enormous grins on their faces, meaning they had fu . Rory wasn't the least bit tired but it was fun to just act like a kid again.

Soon, the kids said goodbye to Rory and left.

 _"Hey, Rory!"_ The demigoddess turned around and saw Tuka coming towards her. _"You're pretty good with kids."_

Rory smiled and giggled. _"Oh, it's nothing. You just have to know how to speak their language...and be a little immature. Where's Lelei?"_

Tuka shrugged. _"She's off with Cato. But Rory, have you seen my father around? I've been looking for him since morning."_ The blonde elf sighed sadly. _"He's_ _always running off to somewhere."_

Rory frowned. Whatever happened to her village, Tuka was so traumatized that her mind was in a state of blurred reality where she believed her father was still alive and not dead. And it was slowly getting worse by the day.

 _"No, I'm sorry."_ Rory replied, trying to hide her frown and Tuka sighed.

 _"That's okay. Maybe he's already home. Thanks again, Rory."_ With that, Tuka walked back to her housing as Rory looked at her in pity.

That girl needed to understand that her father, along with the rest of her village was dead and gone. Rory knew Frost had noticed as well and that's why he arranged Tuka talk to some counselors.

But Tuka adamantly believed that her father was still alive.

The only thing that was stopping Rory, Lelei, and Frost from telling her outright was Tuka's fragile state of mind. She could snap if they did and Rory feared what might happen to her if she did.

But she was confident that these counselors could make Tuka see reality. They had to, because if her condition doesn't change, Tuka would have to be locked up or worse...put her out of her misery.

Rory hoped it wouldn't come to that.

Shaking her head, Rory just continued her stroll around. She thought of something else, and the first thought that came to mind was Frost. Instantly, Rory smiled at the thought of him.

He had certainly peeked her interest. Frost was intimidating, cold, stoic, and strict. But he was also kind, and compassionate. And though he may not show it, he had this unique way of expressing himself behind all of that seriousness.

Though Frost had a strict disposition, he cared about his team and those around him, and just had a certain essence about him that Rory couldn't understand.

She knew she was attracted to him in some way, but what was it? His skills in battle? His good looks? His kind yet hardened heart? Rory didn't know, but she did enjoy teasing him every chance she got even though he never once flinched at them.

Rory giggled at that, she had yet to make the soldier flustered and the Apostle of Emroy does like a challenge.

Her feelings for the soldier was still blurry, but Rory knew she was attracted in someway. Rory shrugged her shoulders, time will tell if Frost was worth it.

And from what Rory had seen in just a few weeks, he was definitely worth it.

 _ ***Fifteen Minutes Later - Gen. Morrison's Office***_

After doing away with Pete, Frost knocked on the door leading to Gen. Morrison's office. "Come in." Frost heard the General and entered the door.

Standing at attention, Frost gave a salute to his commanding officer. "Lt. Frost, reporting in, sir."

Morrison returned the salute. "Stand at ease. Take a seat, son." Morrison motioned to the chair and Frost sat down. "I've seen how your team did on that exercise. Very nice, Lieutenant."

Frost nodded. "Thank you, sir. I like to keep them in shape. If I may, What's the word on our guests?" Frost referred to Princess Pina and her knights.

"They're cooperating. They're giving us everything we need, names, locations, and other objects of interests."

Frost nodded. He might not like them, but Frost hoped that those knights to get their heads out of their asses and cooperate. The CIA were known to get people to talk, even if it means going to the very extremes. "You wanted to see me, sir?"

"I have a new assignment for you."

"What is it?" Frost asked leaning closer, interested about this new assignment. Would he and his team be going behind enemy lines and take out high value targets? If it was, Frost was damn ready to go on the hunt.

"You're to go back Stateside and give a full report to the President and Congress about the situation here."

It wasn't what Frost had expected but hearing this was his new assignment made the Special Forces veteran give a look of confusion. "With all due respect, isn't that your job?"

Morrison nodded and leaned back on his chair. "Yes, that's true. But the higher ups want a detailed report directly from the ones that have the most contact. Given the reputation you and your team have garnered, you're our man."

Frost slowly nodded. It was true, he had built up a reputation here even though it was unwanted. The Delta Operator was viewed as a madman by the Empire and a savior by the people.

While he wasn't keen on standing in front of politicians - he hated politics, he had his orders. Shrugging his shoulders, Frost looked at Gen. Morrison. "Understood, sir."

"Also, you might wanna take a few locals with you. Their input might shed some light on the situation here." Morrison added.

"How many should I bring?" Frost asked, already thinking about who should he bring as witnesses.

"I'll let you decide on the matter and who you'll bring. Your team'll be assigned for their security. You have three days to get sorted. Any questions?"

Frost shook his head and stood up and saluted. "Permission to leave."

Morrison returned the salute. "Permission granted. Good luck, Frost.

After being dismissed and departing from Gen. Morrison's office, Frost gave out a silent sigh. He was a soldier, not a politician. Not to mention he wasn't one to stand in front of a large crowd and talk.

But...Frost was given his orders. He just hoped this wasn't going to be something big. Politics is such a pain in the ass.

While Frost was walking back to his office, he was already making plans on this new assignment. He already knew what he was gonna present to the suits in Washington, but the question was how much of it he was gonna show them.

It didn't really help when all of Frost's battle reports and footage contained really graphic shit, and no doubt the whole world will be watching his report.

But if they wanted to know what's happening here, Frost had no choice but to show them. He just hoped that everyone didn't eat a big meal before his report.

Next was who was he gonna bring back as witnesses. Frost could guess that the higher ups are curious about the indigenous population here. Especially when a good number of the prisoners looked like something out of a goddamn fairy tale book.

Lelei, and Cato would be fine, also Rory. They're human, first and foremost...or at least Rory looks human. But also they have magic. Tuka as well, partly because she's a different species than humans that resided here, and because she she was suffering from severe mental trauma.

Frost and Ackerman have been doing everything they can to make Tuka see reality, even Lelei was getting worried. He even scheduled her with some counsellors, but Tuka still believed her father was alive.

The Delta Operator felt sorry for the girl, so that's why he wanted to bring her on.

Shaking away those thoughts, went over to the coffee station, Frost filled himself a cup of coffee before sitting down at his chair as he continued to contemplate.

Maybe he should bring the Countess as well, and at least one maid. Being a Countess and a noble here, Myui could explain how the Empire ruled. Perhaps even a few of her maids should come as well to voice their thoughts.

Then a thought came to Frost's mind. Why not bring the Princess as well? But as quickly as it appeared, the thought was quickly shot down for a multiple of reasons. One, most of the American public had a burning hatred at those responsible for Time Square. It didn't take a genius to know that once word got out of a princess and her knights had set foot on US soil even as a prisoner of war...

They were as good as dead even if they were guarded 24/7.

 _'So, that's a no go for the princess and her knights. That just leaves Lelei, Tuka, Cato, Rory, Myui, and at least two maids.'_ Nodding to himself, Frost went on his way to get things ready. But first thing's first.

His team had to know of their new assignment. And just when Frost gave them the day off.

 _ ***Fort Arnus - Holding Facilities***_

Princess Pina sat huddled in a corner in a small cubical with a far off look on her face. Her once rich crimson hair was now dead in color and her eyes were almost lifeless. The proud princess was now broken, a shell of her former self.

Sobbing could be heard from the other cells with her and Pina just hugged herself tighter, trying to stay strong and keep whatever dignity she had left as a princess.

She always felt that the Empire was this benevolent structure that harbored all races, human or otherwise. That its power was the shining light from which all would he shielded. That the Empire at its core...was good.

But the things Pina was shown...

 _ ***Flashback - Two Days Ago***_

 _"Still not talking, eh."_ A shadowed man said, circling a physically and mentally exhausted Pina.

The moment she and her knights were out of the Chinook, they were promptly taken by the CIA. They had intel, and by God they were gonna give it.

Interrogation had been going on for thirteen hours without rest or food, and the CIA agents were using scare tactics against the weak willed knights. Torture was always an option, but only if the knights weren't cooperating and resisting.

Even though torture was authorized doesn't mean it had to be mandated. It was only a last resort.

About thirteen hours in, the knights were already starting to break. Most had already been broken, but a few were still hanging on by a thread. Those few were the ones that truly mattered.

They too will break soon enough

The princess heaved strained breaths, trying to keep herself awake and strong. She felt so weak, but she would be damned if she let these savages get that satisfaction. _"You're nothing but animals."_ She hissed.

The CIA agent stopped and forced the princess' face to the hard table, making her yelp in pain. _"You think we're animals?"_ The agent gave a dark chuckle. _"Princess, I think you got it backwards. Because the only animal I see here...is you."_

Pina growled in anger at what this savage just said to her. How dare this pig call her an animal! She was a princess of the Empire, no one had the right to call her that!

 _"You son of a bitch. I'll kill you for that."_ Pin snarled, trying to escape with her renewed strength.

 _"What's wrong, Princess? Can't handle the truth?"_ The agent threw her hand onto the table, making it bounce. Pina groaned in pain but kept her mouth shut. _"Maybe this will het you to see."_ He threw a collection of photos in front of her. _"Take a long good look, Princess. This is what your Empire did to my country."_

Pina could only stared with wide eyes at what she was seeing. These...things...they showed men, women, and children...torn apart and mutilated so horribly. Some were even partially eaten The princess blanched at what she was seeing.

 _"...W-What has this got to do with me?"_ Pina asked hoarsely, trying to contain her gagging.

 _"It has everything to do with you, princess."_ The agent let go of her head and say back down. _"Your Empire invaded US soil and butchered hundreds of innocent civilians."_ He leaned forward cast a withering glare at Pina. _"A lot of soldiers lost family that day and they want revenge."_

Pina stiffened at that but returned the glare with her own. _"The Empire was only doing-"_

 _"Doing what? Invade an unsuspecting country, scream to the fucking sky that they own it, and expect to get away with it?"_ The agent retorted coldly. _"Is that it?"_

The princess remained silent for she had no rebuttal for that. Regaining herself, Pina glared at the man in front of her. _"It is only right. The Empire would've helped you prosper."_

Hearing that, the agent laughed. _"Prosper? Look around you, Princess. Which one of us is the more advanced civilization? Compared to us, you're ancient."_

 _"The Empire is good!"_ Pina roared out.

 _"Good, huh? Tell me, do you even know what your Empire's doing to its own people?"_ The agent asked that made Pina take pause.

What was the Empire doing? Of course she knew. The Empire was ruling with a firm but kind hand to its subjects. _"Of course I know. The Empire is kind to those under her, unlike you."_ She said with venom but the agent did nothing but stare at her.

 _"Do you really believe that?"_

 _"Yes."_

 _"Then you're a damn idiot."_ Standing up, the agent turned on a monitor that showed just the exact opposite of what Pina believed. Each image was progressively worse that the other...Imperial soldiers killing and raping innocent civilians, burning them alive, making them eat their own family just to stay alive, and many more atrocious acts.

Needless to say, Pina was horrified and disgusted. _"W-What is this..?"_

 _"Do you know why our soldiers hate you're Empire?_ The agent asked, ignoring Pina's question. _"Beside you murdering a lot of our people, we saw what you were doing to your own. Our country was built on the ideals of freedom and justice. Your Empire is an insult to what the US stands for."_

Pina's resolve was slowly breaking. She had always thought the Empire was doing the right thing, but after seeing this...images...against their own people..?

 _"The Empire...would never do such a thing..."_ She argued weakly.

 _"No, because they already have done it...many times. The difference between you and me is we don't go out and do whatever we want. But you...you do. You think that your untouchable because of your Empire. Well, you just made the wrong enemy to piss off."_

A few moments later, Pina finally lost it and hung her head in shame. This man...he was right. Pina always thought that no one could challenge the Empire but now the Empire was utterly powerless against this nation.

What's more, everything she believed about the Empire was false...the evidence was right in front of her. They weren't this kind and firm hand she was yet to believe...but rabid animals.

Pina sobbed and whimpered knowing that countless others had fallen victim to the Empire's cruelty and savagery. How could she not see this for so long?

 _"...What do I have to do..?"_ Pina asked quietly.

The agent smirked, he had finally broken this girl. _"Give us the information we need, and we'll guarantee you and your knight's safety."_

 _ ***Present***_

Pina felt dirty inside. She's betraying her home and it made her feel like scum. What would her father think of her now? A traitor, nothing more than a lowly whore who sold herself to the enemy because she was too weak.

 _'Father...forgive me...but we can't win this.'_ She whimpered to herself. Now she understands...the Empire had bitten off far more than it can chew and a price will be paid.

The Empire would fall soon enough and Pina was utterly powerless to stop it. The only thing Pina could hope for was that at least some had the sense to lay down their arms and surrender.

"What's the news, sir? I was just getting to the good part." Kowalski asked along with the rest of Recon Team 1. They were all having their God-given rest but low and behold, call back for shit duty again.

Frost sighed. "I know you're not gonna like this, but we have a new assignment." And just like that, most of the squad groaned but kept their complaints to themselves.

"Just when we have the fucking day off." Davis wiped his face in irritation. "Aw screw it, what's the objective, sir?" He asked, wanting to get this over with.

"We're headin' up security on some delegations."

"Delegations, sir?" Williams asked the question on the squad's mind.

Frost nodded. "That's right. I just got back from the General, looks like high command wants me to report directly to them of the situation here."

"Uh, wouldn't that be the General's job?" Scarlet piped in.

"I know, but seeing as we have the most contact with the locals, might as well be me." Frost shrugged. In a way, it made sense. With him being one of the few who had extended contact with the local population, his input had weight.

The rest of the squad nodded their heads. "So...that means we're going Stateside?" Kowalski asked, really hoping they were.

Thankfully, Frost nodded his head. "That's right. RT1's been assigned to head up security for the delegations."

Well, at least there was one silver lining to this new assignment. They were going back home even if this was an assignment.

"When do we leave? And who're we bringing to the other side?" Jackson asked.

"Three days from now at 0900 hours. The delegations are Lelie, Cato, Rory, Tuka, Countess Myui, and at least two maids."

Kowalski and Davis couldn't help but smile. Kowalski had his eyes set on the cat maid, Persia, ever since he laid eyes on her. He wouldn't mind getting to know her a little better. Same with Davis for the Bunny named Mamina.

"Uh, sir? Would to he possible to invite Persia and Mamina to this?" The two asked, gaining a raised eyebrow from their squad commander.

"Why?"

"Well, they're maids and we like to get to know them better." They said without any hint of shame in them.

Kyle, Williams, and Ackerman just shook their heads, while the rest of the squad snickered.

"I'll see what I can do." Frost sighed and the two high fived.

"Thank you, sir!"

Frost just shook his head but kept his face straight. "Grimes, Williams, Kyle, meet me at the refugee camp at 1500 hours." The three nodded their heads in the affirmative. "Dismissed."

Recon Team 1 gave a salute and began to disperse. With his team informed of this, Frost can now focus on the other details. The next was to inform the Countess of this and request if she could come.

 _ ***Fire Base Iowa - Two Hours later***_

In the command center, one of the techies just received a new order direct from Arnus Command. It was classified as as high priority. Printing the orders, the operator forwarded it to the Base Commander, Col. Hendricks.

In his office, Col. Hendricks was busy with a few details with supplies and troop placements until there was a knock on his door. "Come in."

The door opened and stepped in a soldier and saluted. Hendricks returned the salute. "Sir, we just got a message from ArCom." He handed a folder to the Colonel.

"Okay, let's see here." Hendricks read the message content, taking in every detail. After a few minutes, the Colonel put down the paper and chuckled. "Looks like Lt. Frost can't get a damn day off."

"Sir?"

"Can you inform the Countess that I need to speak with her. Tell her it's urgent business." Hendricks said and Cpl. Langley nodded.

"Yes, sir." Langley saluted and Hendricks returned it before going on his way to inform the Countess.

Countess Myui was sitting on her desk at her room, trying to figure out what the hell this was. She had just got back from those classes and she had to admit, it was engaging and more fun than her own private lessons.

In fact, she was learning things faster thanks to the unorthodox methods of those soldiers. But she was having a little trouble with her...homework as they call them.

Myui scratched her head, looking at these...numbers, trying to figure them out. Something about additions and subtraction. Don't get her wrong, Myui knew what it was, but she was having a little bit of trouble with this last one.

Thinking that she had it, Myui was about to write what she thought was the correct answer until there was a knock on her door. _"Countess Myui? May I come in?"_

Giving out a silent and indignant groan, Myui put her quill down. _"You may."_ She heard the door open and turned around to see Head Maid Kaine. _"Kaine? What's going on?"_

 _"I'm sorry for interrupting you studies, but Col. Hendricks wishes to speak with you. He said it was of great importance."_ Caine said seriously and Myui nodded.

 _"Okay. Just let me freshen up first."_ Caine nodded and stepped out of the room while Myui fixed herself. What did the Colonel want to talk about? Well, whatever it was, it must he important.

Exiting her room and making sure her homework was right there, Myui walked with Kaine to the Colonel's office. _"What did he want to talk about?"_ The young Countess asked.

 _"I don't know. One of his men just told me it was urgent."_ Kaine replied. She had asked if there was something wrong, but the soldier just shook his head, reassuring her everything was fine. Just that the Colonel wanted to inform Myui of a new development.

Myui nodded and the two hurried their pace. Standing in front of the Colonel's office, the two were granted access by the guard.

 _"Colonel Hendricks."_ Countess Myui and Kaine bowed in respect which Hendricks returned in kind.

 _"Good morning Myui, Kaine. I apologize if I interrupted whatever you two are doing."_

Straightening up, Myui just gave a smile. _"It's no problem. But you said you wanted to talk about something? And I hope you don't mind Kaine joining us."_

Hendricks nodded. _"Not at all."_ He motioned to the two chairs in front of his desk. _"Please, have a seat."_ The two promptly sat down and waited for Hendricks to continue. _"I won't dance around this, but I just received a request from my commanding officer in Arnus."_ He said, taking out the request forms he received earlier.

 _"What kind of request?"_ Kaine asked, curious about what this had to do with Myui.

 _"Lt. Frost has been given new orders to report back through the gate and has requested you to accompany him along with at least two maids and a few others."_ Hendricks explained and needless to say, both Myui and Kaine were surprised.

Countess Myui and Kaine couldn't decide if their hearing was shot or they didn't hear that right. Frost, the commander of the small team that held off the attack long enough for rescue and aid to arrive, was asking if Countess Myui could accompany him to his country.

On the other side of the gate.

 _"M-May I ask why me?"_ Myui stuttered out nervously.

 _"As the head of this town, you can explain how the Empire has treated your people and what they did over the years. Your words have weight at his report including your maids' words."_

Myui thought it over and looked at Kaine for advice but Kaine was just as clueless as her on how to proceed. But they were being given a chance to voice out to their people and that was an opportunity that Myui and Kaine couldn't pass up.

After much debate, Myui looked at Hendricks and nodded. _"I accept."_

Hendricks nodded back. _"Oh, and before I forget, Frost had also requested that the maids you bring are Persia and Mamina."_ Though it was a little strange, Myui and Kaine just nodded back. _"All right, you better get packed for the trip. A transport bird'll arrive tomorrow for pick up."_

Myui and Kaine nodded and they both left the office. They walked back to the mansion. _"Shall I prepare for your travels, Countess?"_

 _"Yes, please. And tell Persia and Mamina they're to accompany me to their base as guests."_ Myui said and her head maid nodded. _"For now, I gotta finish that infernal homework."_ Kaine almost laughed when she saw the young Countess bound over to her desk and was instantly hack on the sheet of paper.

Myui was indeed a Countess, but she was still a young girl.

 _ ***Fort Arnus - Refugee Camp***_

 _"Wait, so you want us to come with you to your country and stand in front of your leaders as witnesses to your report?"_ Cato asked, seeing if he got it.

 _"Yes. Along with Myui and two maids."_ Frost nodded. He had come here accompanied by Williams, Grimes, and Kyle to inform Lelei, Tuka, Rory, and Cato of this and see if they can come.

Tuka looked nervous, Lelei was her usual unexpressive self but you can never really tell, while Rory had an interested glint in her eyes. Frost was asking them to come with him to his country...that could be fun.

Rory leaned forward and looked at Frost with sultry eyes. _"My, I would love to go with you. I can't wait to see what's on the other side."_ For all of her work, she only got a nod from him, but that just made this little challenge all the more sweeter when she succeeded.

 _"I will go as well."_ Lelei said in her usual neutral voice. In truth, she had been looking forward to see just what the other side of the gate looked like. If the US base was like this, Lelei could only imagine what kind of wonders the USA had.

Tuka fidgeted for a few seconds before she made up her mind. _"I-I'll come too."_

Kato rubbed his chin. Like Lelei, he was also a little intrigued at what kind of wonders were on the other side. After a couple of seconds, the old wizard just sighed. _"All right, I'll come too. But when do we leave?"_

" _In three days. Just be ready by then."_

The rest nodded and began discussing about what they should tell when they were called up. They had seen some pretty dark and gruesome shit, but Frost just said to tell the truth and not sugarcoat it.

" _Are you sure? Don't you think we should water it down just a little?"_ Kato asked but Frost just shook his head.

" _No, my superiors want the full details of the situation here. But if you'd like to lessen it, I won't stop you."_

Kyle spoke up. _"The Lieutenant's right. We won't force you, but it would be better to tell them everything you know."_

After a few more minutes of talking, Frost and his teammates bid farewell for now and left their local friends.

" _What do you think, Lelei?"_ Kato asked to his second apprentice.

Lelei just kept her usual façade, not even flinching an inch. _"I don't know…"_

Rory just giggled. _"I don't know about you, but I can't wait to see his world. What about you, Tuka? Are you feeling excited?"_

The blonde elf just gave a slight shy smile. _"Maybe…"_

Then Rory gave the young elf a devious smirk. _"And maybe you'll get to spend some special time with Ackerman, hm?"_ The demigoddess laughed when Tuka blushed bright red.

" _W-What are you t-talking about?"_ Tuka stuttered out.

" _Oh, don't be so shy about it, Tuka. It isn't common for one to be attracted to the same sex."_

" _Wait a minute, Tuka's interested in a woman?"_ Kato asked, his lecherous mind already imagining it.

To spare herself from further embarrassment, Tuka took off running sporting a massive blush while Rory and Kato were laughing hard.

Meanwhile Lelei just sat there watching this whole thing like it was Tuesday.

 _ ***Three Days Later***_

The time has come. Frost stood in front of four L-ATVs along with his team in full combat gear and were waiting for the delegations to arrive just outside of the bunker where the gate was. The Delta operator had spent the last three days writing up his report here with an abundance of evidence to back it up.

But he was also responsible for the delegation's safety and Frost can't afford to fuck it up. Though they were indeed going home, they were still under orders.

In that time also, word had spread around the globe that the US was bringing in people from the Mew Frontier as guest and obviously met with a variety of reactions.

Some sere curious about these people, while most - the American public, was outraged that the government had authorized to bring the same people who slaughtered their own.

"Is everything in place?" Frost asked Kowalski and Davis through the comms.

"Everything's up and running, sir. We're ready to roll when our guests get here."

Frost nodded and waited. Not a few minutes later, two cars pulled up and out came their delegations and General Morrison himself. Making Frost and his squad stand at attention.

"T'en hut!" Frost commanded as he and his squad gave a crisp salute.

Gen. Morrison returned the salute. "At ease, soldiers." Recon Team 1 relaxed and Morrison came up to Frost and shook his hand. "Keep them safe, Frost. Remember, the whole world'll be watching you. I hope you're ready."

"I am, sir. I'm not so sure if the world'll be ready what I'll show them."

Morrison nodded and let go of Frost's hand and turned to the delegations and signaled them to come. "Good luck, Lieutenant."

Tuka, Lelei, Kato, Rory, Myui, Persia, and Mamina began to get on the two middle vehicles and were strapped in as Morrison left. Frost came into the first vehicle with Kowalski and nodded.

Kowalski started the L-ATV with a roar of the engines as the rest followed suit.

"Wolfpack Actual to all units, fall in."

"This is Wolfpack 2, ready."

"Wolfpack 3, online and ready."

"Wolfpack 4, all systems go."

The Delta Operator nodded and radioed command for clearance. "Overlord, this is Wolfpack Actual. Mission order 09814, clearance Azimuth Delta Foxtrot. Request permission to go through the gate."

"Wolfpack Actual, this is Overlord. Mission order confirmed, clearance verified. Opening the gate." Red lights began to shine and sirens began to blare as the steel doors began to open up. "Welcome home."

Once the doors were opened, Frost nodded to Kowalski as the vehicles began to move towards the darkness.

"Let's go home."

 _ **RECON TEAM 1 HAS SUCCESSFULLY TRANSPORTED THE ROSE ORDER OF KNIGHTS UNDER THE COMMAND OF PRINCESS PINA CO LADA AND WERE PROMPTLY INTERROGATED BY CIA AGENTS FOR FITAL INTEL ON THE ENEMY LEADERSHIP. A FEW DAYS LATER, GEN. MORRISON GAVE LT. FROST NEW ORDERS. HE WAS TO RETURN TO WASHINGTON DC AND HIVE A THOROUGH REPORT TO THE PRESIDENT AND CONGRESS ON THE SITUATION. HE WAS ALSO AUTHORIZED TO BRING WITNESSES TO FURTHER IS CLAIMS. THREE DAYS LATER, HE AND HIS TEAM WERE READY TO DEPART WITH THE DELEGATIONS LELEI LA LELENA, TUKA LUNA MARCEAU, KATO EL ALESTAN, RORY MERCURY, COUNTESS MYUI, AND HER TWO MAIDS, PERSIA, AMD MAMINA.**_

 _ **REPORT COMPLETE**_

 _ **AN: Here you go, the eleventh chapter. This may seem dull, but it sets the stage for the next part of the story. Sooner or later, this was bound to happen anyway.**_


	12. Chapter 12

_**GATE: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri and Call of Duty crossover.**_

"Oscar Mike" – English.

 _'Oscar Mike' – Thoughts._

 _"Oscar Mike" - Whatever language these people speak._

 _ **Chapter XII – The Home Of The Brave**_

Cato had seen many things in his life as a mage. He had dealt with all sorts of magic, creatures, and legends; some of which that even he would be hard-pressed to believe. The old sage had thought that he had seen it all, but he was proven wrong.

Oh, so very wrong.

Together with Tuka, Lelei, Rory, the Countess and her maids, they could only stare in wide eyed awe at the spectacle before them.

"Wolfpack 1-1, this is Titan. We're tracking your position. You're cleared to enter."

"Roger that, Titan." Frost responded as the convoy made its way to the security checkpoint of the New York base of operations.

Titan was set up shortly following the mobilization and deployment of the US invasion force sent into the New Frontier and has since become the primary depot of supplies, equipment, and personnel to be sent through the gate at a moment's notice.

Military leaders wanted to cordon off the entire island as a base of operations. But Washington, in all its wisdom, decided against this because if they did cordon off Manhattan into a military base, the US would lose a lot of economic revenue from local businesses and not to mention it would cost a lot of money, resources and relocate more than eight million people.

In the long run, converting Manhattan into a military installation would be bad for the US economy.

After a small debate on the matter, the two parties had come to an agreement. Titan would indeed be set up but military presence would be limited to a specified area.

Time Square would obviously be under lockdown while everything within a six hundred meter radius would be divided into three zones which would regulate civilian activity.

Zone Alpha would be the very center, no civilians would be allowed in. Zone Bravo would be the middle section; civilian activity would be very limited. Zone Charlie would be the outer section in which civilians would be free to move about but under heavy surveillance.

These zones would be separated by security checkpoints. Zone Charlie would be patrolled by units of the National Guards and the NYPD. Zone Bravo and Alpha, however, would be handled by a small military unit. While Charlie was free for civilian movement, the other two zones will require special identifications tags to gain access, civilian and military.

The unit stationed at Titan was A and B Company of the 101st Airborne Division and Alpha Company of the 1st Battalion of the 1st Special Forces Group with a few M1A3 tanks and LAVs in support. These units would be backed up by the warships stationed just off shore where the Navy was.

Surrounding the waters of Manhattan, the units of the United States Fleet Forces Command - previously known as the US Atlantic Fleet - stood guard. The vessels stationed there were the US Navy's Destroyer Squadron 28 and two America-Class Amphibious Assault Carriers, the USS America, and the USS Tripoli.

The Coast Guard was also patrolling the waters supporting the Navy.

Kowalski pulled up on the security checkpoint and two soldiers came up to the windows. These soldiers looked different for they had more advanced gear. "Identification please." A Green Beret requested.

Frost was told that the boys back home were in the process of a massive upgrade to meet the ever increasing demands of the battlefield. No doubt that soon, these upgrades will be delivered through the gate.

He pulled out his credentials and handed them to the soldier who promptly took it and began scanning it for confirmation.

When it was done and everything in order, the soldier gave the tablet back to Frost. "Identification confirmed, sir. I'm gonna have to ask you and your guys to dismount and proceed to the scanners."

"Understood." Frost nodded and opened up the comms. "All units, dismount."

At his orders, Wolfpack began to dismount from their vehicles but a certain few were still lost in their own wonder to have heard.

"I knew this would happen." Jackson sighed with a shake of his head when he looked at their passengers, practically drooling.

"What?" Davis looked at Jackson who just pointed to the stunned faces of their passengers. "Oh, then what're you standing around for? Get them back in touch with reality, we're movin' out."

"Yeah yeah, I got it." Jackson grumbled as he snapped his fingers and waved his hand in front of their faces. "Yo, earth to you guys, snap out of it."

It took a while but Cato managed to recover from his shock first and shake his head to get rid of the fuzz. _"E-Excuse me?"_

"I said let's go. We're leaving."

Cato had been learning this new language called English, but learning a language was different from learning a new spell. It was like trying to learn another culture. But the old sage had gained enough knowledge to understand.

Nodding his head, Cato turned to his fellow companions. _"Everyone, the young man told us to dismount so let's go."_ That seemed to work as Lelei, Rory, Tuka, Myui and her maids all snapped out of their stupor and slowly made their way out of the vehicle.

Once they were out, Jackson gave the all clear to Frost. "Passengers out. On your go, LT."

"Roger that." Frost looked at the back and saw that his delegates were all set - albeit a little awed. "Form up and head to the DeCon units for scanning."

As they made their way to the DeCon units for mandatory scanning, the delegates could now see this new world with their naked eyes.

Quite literally, they had their mouths wide open. Unable to form coherent words...hell, their minds all but shut down at what they were seeing.

All around them, huge stone and metal constructs stood at titanic heights. For the first time in their lives, even Rory's own...they felt insignificant.

 _"Unbelievable..."_ Lelei was not ashamed to voice it out. What she was seeing was truly incredible. Those with her could do nothing but nod slowly.

This should not be possible. Even mages, no matter how powerful, would struggle to make even one of these structures at these sizes, but there were countless others. Cato's mind was reeling from this impossibility, how can this be?

How can a civilization with no magic build such...gigantic things...and so many of them? This should not be possible on their world.

Ah, that's right.

This wasn't Cato's world anymore. This was the world where this mighty army came from. Where those flying metal beasts called aircraft came from. Where those powerful metal rods called guns came from. And where these soldiers came from.

 _'Compared to them...we truly are inferior.'_

Frost lead his squad to the DeCon units a few meters away from the checkpoint and there was a glass chamber there. "Hold on." The operators of the scanning chamber said before the doors slid open. "Please enter so we can begin."

"Alright, in we go." Frost entered the chamber and his subordinates followed along with the delegates.

While Lelei, Tuka, Rory, Myui, and Cato had no problems about this, the maids were a bit cautious. If it were just them, then they could take anything that was thrown at them, but Countess Myui was with them.

Mamina and Persia were a bit tense as they entered the transparent chamber, making sure that Myui was protected between them. They trusted these soldiers but their instincts were telling them to keep their guard up.

There was a hiss and they quickly turned to see the door slide close and instinctively took on a defensive stance around the Countess.

Ackerman and Kyle saw this and tried to calm them down. _"Hey, take it easy. This is just a standard scanning for any harmful pathogens we might be carrying. Completely harmless."_ Ackerman said.

Mamina and Persia looked at each other, not entirely convinced. _"Are you sure it won't harm Countess Myui?"_

Kyle nodded. _"Yes, it's completely harmless so you can rest easy."_

Seeing that her maids were still unconvinced, Countess Myui called for them. _"It's all right, Mamina, Persia. We can trust them. I think this is just to ensure a bit of safety for them as well as ours, right?"_

Kyle nodded with a small smile. _"Yes."_

The moment she said that, the scanners came online as two walls of light began to move towards them. "Scanning for hazardous pathogens." A robotic female voice announced.

The maids braced themselves but as soon as the light passed through them and felt no ill effects, Mamina and Persia grew a slightly embarrassed blush on their cheeks as they straightened themselves. It was harmless as they have been told. _"Our apologies. We thought this was some sort of trap."_

Williams looked back at them. _"We understand. This is all new to you, considering."_

As the scans continued, Cato just couldn't hold his curiosity anymore and just had to find out what purpose did this thing served. _"Excuse me, but what does this contraption serve? You said it was to...scan us? For what?"_

Williams looked back at the old sage. _"Yeah, this scans us for any diseases, and other medical anomalies we might've picked up back at your world."_

 _"But why? Surely you have cures for whatever diseases you come across."_ Rory asked with a carefree shrug of her shoulders. What with everything she was seeing thus far, she wouldn't be surprised if these people had already reached the stars.

Well, she's not wrong.

Lelei had come up with a very plausible answer. _"Prevention. Better than cure."_

Jackson nodded. _"That's right. Besides, we just came back from a different world, who's to say that you don't have different diseases than ours. It's better to prevent those things from happening instead of an epidemic of an unknown disease that might take years before a cure can be produced."_

Hearing this, Cato, Lelei, and the others couldn't help but nod. It was always better to prevent outbreaks than find a cure for it. The Empire had never bothered to make effective preventative measures that's why there have been numerous outbreaks in recorded history and all of them had high body counts.

The same could be said here as well. The Black Death, the Spanish Flu, Yellow Fever, and Smallpox. Just to name a few.

 _"And you're sure this can detect any...diseases that we may be infected with?"_ Persia asked skeptically, unbelieving that simple lights could tell her if she was sick or not.

Kowalski smiled and nodded. _"It sure can. And if the egg heads wanted to, they can even see right through your clothes."_

At that, the females instinctively covered their private parts up and gained blushes. _"R-Really..?"_ Tuka asked, her face redding at the prospect of being undressed while being dressed.

 _"Yeah, totally."_ Kowalski chuckled and turned to the operators. "Ain't that right, doc?"

The operator just stood there dumbly, not really understanding what they were talking about. "Uhhh, yes?"

 _"See? They can see right through your clothes."_ Kowalski laughed when he saw the girls' face grew redder.

"Sir, permission to strangle Kowalski and shove a grenade in him where the sun don't shine." Ackerman asked Frost through gritted teeth and Kyle took out a grenade for good measure.

"I'll think about it."

* * *

The lights disappeared. "Scan complete. No harmful pathogens detected."

"All right you guys are clean." The operator said as the doors slid open. "Have a nice day."

Frost was the first to step out and he step to the side and waited for everyone to file out. Once everyone was out, he again led them to their next destination. The transports where they'll link up their escorts on their way to the airport.

This had been planned out thoroughly as to keep it short, smooth, and simple. Once Wolfpack was through the gate, they would link up with an escort detail. From there, they would drive to Teterboro Airport and board a transport jet on the way to Washington DC.

And since the whole world knew of this now, no doubt there would be journalists hounding them every step of the way, that's why routes were already planned out and secured for safe and fast passage.

Frost and his squad came up to another squad of soldiers. The leader of them gave a salute. "Good to see ya', sir. Lt. McMasters, we'll be escorting you to your destination."

Frost returned the salute and shook the man's hand. "Same here, is everything ready?"

"Yeah, five vehicles, all armored and armed up and my guys'll be watching your backs." McMasters replied.

"And the routes have been secured to the airport?"

McMasters nodded and handed Frost a small tablet with a 3D map of New York and the routes they would use. "Primary is a go. The roads have been cordoned off by military and local law enforcement so we should have a straight shot."

The Delta operator looked at the routes with calculating eyes. By all accounts, primary is the shortest and fastest way to Teterboro Airport. They would head Southwest down 7th Avenue, then head a left on W 44 Street, cross the hudson river by way of NJ 495 W, then follow the freeway to NJ 3 W, then to NJ 120 W, and finally the airport.

Cato and Lelei were entranced by the imagery, being scholars at heart. It looked so...real...like an illusion but...they didn't know what to say and that just fueled their curiosity

"Secondaries?"

McMasters pressed a few more buttons to show the different routes should primary be compromised. "Got it covered, sir. If primary's been compromised, we have back up routes to take. Worst case scenario, a QRF has been prepped and is standing by."

"Man, these new toys are amazing. When can we get those?" Grimes asked, obviously eyeing the new gear. The same sentiment was shared by the rest of the squad.

McMasters chuckled. "Don't worry, soldier. See there?" He pointed to some trucks. "That's the first shipments of equipment upgrades for you boys. The President authorized it just yesterday."

"Sweet. And what about that?" Davis asked, pointing to a truck that was slightly larger than the rest.

"I can't say much but that's gonna be our eyes in the sky."

Frost nodded. "All right, let's get moving. We're wasting daylight."

Lt. McMasters nodded once and turned to the five vehicle convoy. three were heavily armored L-ATV's armed with miniguns and the middle two vehicles were Cougar HE MRAPs armed with Crow III operated .50 cal. machine guns.

"All right, let's mount up. Double time." At Frost's command, Wolfpack began climbing into the MRAPs as the escort unit began climbing into their own vehicles.

"Wolfpack 1, this is Dragon 2-1. Radio check, over." Frost heard Harrison over the radio and went to respond.

"Solid copy, Dragon 2-1. I read you five by five."

"Roger that. You set on your end? We're ready to move out of this joint. Over."

"Standby." Frost looked over his shoulders and asked if everything was okay with a thumbs up. The squad and delegates replied in the positive and Frost went to check on the second MRAP. "Williams, you good?"

"We're good, sir."

"Dragon 2-1, Wolpack Actual. We're all set to disembark. Waiting on your go. Over."

"Solid copy on all. Command, this is Dragon 2-1, passengers on board and secured. Confirm that route Yankee 3 is a go."

"Confirmed, route Yankee 3 is green. You are cleared to move out. Over."

"Roger that, Command. Dragon 2-1 is oscar mike. Out." Lt. McMasters then ordered the convoy to move out.

As the convoy drove at a modest speed, the delegates couldn't help but look out the window and just take it all it.

 _"Oh, look at that."_ Tuka pointed to the numerous buildings and people they were passing, still unable to believe what she was seeing.

They were just astounded by it all. Large buildings surrounded them and people dressed in such strange clothing moving about. Sure, the roads were being patrolled by soldiers, but it didn't dampen the flare of it.

Soon, they passed the first checkpoint into Zone 2.

 _"Wow."_ Myui breathed out, her eyes wide like a child going on an exciting adventure - which she was. Then she saw something that piqued her curiosity. _"Um, why are there so many people here? Is this the market?"_

Williams shook his head. _"No, actually this is just Zone 2. Not a lot of civilians are allowed here."_

 _"Why?"_

 _"Security reasons and public safety."_

Rory raised an eyebrow. _"Safety? The first thing I saw since we came through the gate was an enormous number of those guns pointing right at us. Do you think that you'll be forced back after all you've accomplished?"_

It was true, everyone noticed that the second they emerged from the gate... the number of armaments aimed right at the gate weren't even funny. As if they were expecting another attack.

This time, Frost decided to say his piece. _"Yes, we do. Remember this is war, anything can happen. Even if it's an extremely small chance of it happening, we might be pushed back. Better to be prepared if that happens."_

The others, once again, couldn't argue with that logic. The US may have the advantage now, but who's to say that the tide of war won't change in a few weeks or days. It was better to keep all of your bases covered than not.

 _"I can't argue with that."_ Rory smiled at Frost.

 _"I agree."_ Cato said and the others just nodded. _"We have so much to learn from your world. Common sense being the first, of course."_ This got the others a small laugh.

 _"No kidding. Oh my, look at that!"_ Rory pointed to a big billboard and the others looked at it. Lelei, Tuka, Mamina, Persia, Myui, and herself sported blushes while Cato had a perverse smile.

The reason? A lingerie ad...a very provocative lingerie ad.

 _"Hehehe, what's her name?"_ Cato snickered perversely before being pelted by a block of ice in the face courtesy of his ever loyal apprentice. _"OW! What was that for, Lelei!"_

Lelei just gave her teacher a blank look. _"Master being perverted again. Knock some sense."_

 _"Well, you could've just-"_ What Cato was going to say died in his throat when he saw something that made him drop his mouth.

The others saw this and was curious why he was acting this way. _"Uh, Sage Cato, why are you acting surprised?"_ Mamina asked.

Rory humphed with a smile. _"Probably saw one of those large women in their underwear again."_

This caught Lelei's attention. _"Master did?"_ Lelei began to form a even bigger block of ice to thwack her teacher with. _"Must knock some sense."_

Lelei was about to throw the ice towards her perverted teacher when he pointed a shaky finger outside. The others followed what his finger was pointing at and when they did...

In her own shock, Lelei dropped the ice, her eyes showing immense surprise. Rory had dropped her halberd in her own surprise, let out a loud clank. Tuka, Mamina, Persia, and Myui had their mouths hanging open.

What they were seeing was beyond massive. It was as high as a mountain! _"W-What is that?!"_ Persia sputtered out, unable to take her eyes off the massive construct.

Kowalski chuckled. _"That's just the Empire State Building. The tallest building in New York."_

 _"It's...It's massive!"_ Cato exclaimed. _"How did you build such a thing so big?!"_

Kowalski shrugged. _"To tell you the truth, I don't really know. That building is probably over a hundred years old by now. But it took a long time to build it, that's for sure."_

 _"Incredible..."_ Myui mumbled out.

Davis looked at their gobsmacked expressions and laughed. "Hey, LT. What do you think they'll be when they see an aircraft carrier?"

Frost sighed. "I don't know. Good thing they're too surprised to see the damage being repaired."

Over the radio, McMasters hummed in agreement. "I hear ya'. New York would've been fixed in the next two years if it weren't for this stupid war."

The US soldiers couldn't help but agree. Since the end of the Third World War, american cities in the East Coast were in desperate need of repair and clean up. Even after all this time, 2022, the scars still remain. Manhattan was this close to being mostly restored until that gate opened up.

* * *

"Wolfpack 1-1, be advised. We're approaching the Zone Charlie checkpoint." McMasters called over the radio as the convoy drew closer to the checkpoint leading to Charlie.

"Wilco." Frost replied. The zone checkpoint was about a several hundred meters away and closing. That was where things get a little complicated. Charlie was filled with civilians and no doubt reporters and a lot of protesters.

Tensions have barely died down since the end of the Russo-American and the Third World War, more so since the attack at Time Square. There were a lot of Americans who didn't want the delegates here.

"All right, this won't take long." McMasters informed them as the convoy halted at the last security checkpoint leading to the civilian sector. And just as expected, there were dozens of reporters waiting for them, taking pictures and such.

Frost scanned the crowd and sure enough, there were dozens of reporters being held back by a squad of police. Worse still, so e civilians were holding up banners saying "We Don't Want You Here!" and among other things. "Copy that. Just keep your eyes open for anything that looks suspicious."

"Roger. But be advised, we're still under strict ROE."

"Understood. Keep me updated. Out." Frost understood the ROE. The use of lethal force is only as a last resort. They couldn't afford a fire fight in the civilian population. That's why their weapons were loaded with stun munitions. Live fire being kept in reserve just in case.

* * *

"It's them! Hey, Joe, c'mon! That's the escort we're waitin' for!" A female reporter called out to her cameraman as she prepared herself for a report.

"You got it!" Joe began preparing his equipment and gave the thumbs up to his boss, signaling that everything was up and ready.

"This is Amanda Fergus reporting in from Zone Charlie of the US military compound known as Titan. The world has been abuzz since official word from the president that in four days from now,a summit will be held and a representative from the units stationed at Fort Alnus will be giving a report on the situation regarding the New Frontier. It has also been speculated that he may also be bringing natives there as witnesses. At this, the American people are divided. Some want to hear what these witnesses have to say, but some want them to leave." Amanda motioned for Joe to follow her, making their way through the sea of other reporter to get to the front. "As you can see behind me, there is a military convoy about to leave the base. This may or may not be carrying the VIPs but - wait, Joe get a close up there now!"

Joe zoomed into the first MRAP's windows and caught a glimpse of a little girl with silver hair and an old man.

"A-Are you getting this?! Ladies and gentlemen, there seems to be a little girl and an old man riding with the convoy! I can't tell if these are the delegations but the possibility is extremely high now."

They saw the convoy began to leave the checkpoint as the reporters began taking pictures in hopes of getting a shot of anything worth spilling.

"It looks like the convoys's been given permission to leave. I-I think I see something in the passenger seat on the first MRAP but I can't tell..." Just before Amanda could get a bead on what she was seeing, a police officer blocked her view.

"Hey, get back! This is for your own safety." The officer pushed the reported back across the barricade which Amanda didn't realize.

"What the hell? Move, buddy, I'm trying to get a story here!"

"Then go get your fucking story from behind the barricade like everyone else."

Amanda grumbled but resumed on what she was looking at. It was close but sue couldn't make it out now. Too many reporters in the way.

"ARGH! Dammit! Joe, c'mon!"

"Right behind ya', boss!"

* * *

Lelei and Cato were looking out the windows and were just stunned at the amount of people greeting them. _"What is this? Were we expected? Why are there so many people?"_

Scarlet sighed. _"Yeah, we're expected."_ Then he looked at his commander. "Holy shit, sir. I hope this doesn't get too out of hand."

"Yeah." Frost mumbled, eyeing a few angry protesters who looked ready to kill. Sensing that shit could hit the fan at any moment, Frost flipped his safety off. "Ten o'clock. I got agitators. Looks like this might get ugly any second."

Wolfpack members began scanning the crowd for any threats and they saw a lot of them. Several angry people trying to get pass the barricades and the local police were struggling to keep order.

"I see 'em."

"I think I speak for all of us that we don't want to shoot our way out of this." Frost said and went to his radio. "Dragon 2-1, advise you to haul ass. Shit's about to hit the fan, we need to clear out before things get ugly."

"Dragon 2-1 copies. We're cleared to move on." Once he said that, the gate opened up and the convoy quickly made their way out.

Once the convoy was clear of the crowd, the soldiers breathed out a sigh of relief. They really weren't keen on shooting their own countrymen, even if they were using stuns.

"We're clear." McMasters said over the radio with a sigh. "Thank Christ."

"That was close." Davis said as they sped away from the crowd. "Glad we're outta there or things would've gone ugly fast."

"No shit." Kowalski agreed.

 _"Why did many of them look angry? We haven't done anything to them."_ Tuka asked, remembering the look of rage of some of the crowd. It was down right murderous and it frightened her.

Ackerman sighed. _"To tell you the truth, a lot of people lost loved ones when the Empire attacked. When news spread that you were coming here as witnesses, a lot of Americans want payback for Time Square."_

 _"But...but we had nothing to do with it!"_ Mamina stuttered out. _"We were never aligned to the Empire in the first place. Why direct your anger towards us?!_ "

 _"It's complicated."_ Williams said. _"To them, you're all the same with the ones that killed their own. Not to mention that tensions have yet to die down since the war ended."_

That got their attention. _"War? What do you mean?"_ Persia asked.

Kowalski was the one to reply. _"Long story short, before your Empire attacked us, the US was recovering from World War 3."_

 _"World War 3?"_ Lelei asked curiously, wanting to know more about this conflict.

 _"Listen, we'll answer your questions but now right now, okay?"_ Frost said. Though Lelei and pretty much the others wanted to ask more, they stayed their tongues. They'll get their answers sooner or later. _"And don't worry about the crowd back there. Hopefully, we can convince them you're not the enemy."_

 _"Are you sure?"_ Myui asked. _"Can we convince them to help us?"_ She knew that if the US turned on her, there was absolutely nothing she can do about it but watch helplessly.

Frost looked back at the young Countess. _"I can't promise anything, Myui. But at the very least, you won't have the entire population against you."_

Though it wasn't much, Myui gave a hesitant nod. If the American people won't help them, then at least she and Italica won't be viewed as an accomplice to the Empire. They were just victims as well.

 _"That's more than what I could ask for."_

Frost nodded and leaned into his chair. By his estimates, the convoy would reach Teterboro Airport in about fifteen mikes from where they are now, so it was probably better to just get some rest for now.

 _"Ooh, look at those clothes."_

* * *

"Wolfpack 1-1, we're approaching the Lincoln Tunnel."

"Roger that, Dragon 2-1."

Rory was still looking out at the window when she saw they were about to pass another of those security checkpoints and just beyond that was a strange looking building. Seeing that the others were too occupied to notice it, with a small giggle, the demigoddess went up front. _"Say, what's that building we're going into?"_

The truth was, she just wanted an excuse to go near Frost.

Frost looked at her and she at him with those seductive eyes of hers. _"That's the entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel. We're going underground across the river."_

Hearing that, the color in Rory's face drained. _"W-We're going u-underground?"_ She asked, her voice with a very noticeable tremble.

Kowalski and Frost looked at each other, wondering what in the hell Rory was scared about going underground for. _"Yeah..."_

 _"AAAAHHHH!"_ Rory screamed in fright. _"No! Anything but that! Why not use a bridge instead?!"_ She clung to Frost's chair with a vise grip.

 _"Uh...why are you so afraid of going under?"_ Scarlet asked from the back.

 _"Because of Hardy!"_

Scarlet raised an eyebrow. "Hardy?" Just then, the convoy came to a stop as McMasters was giving the necessary clearance to be go through.

Cato decided to fill them in on Hardy. _"Hardy's the goddess of the underworld. She deals with the dead and her domain is...well...underground."_

Frost shook his head, trying to wiggle Rory's arms off him. _"And why are you afraid of her, anyway?"_

Rory gulped. _"Because she wants me to marry her!"_

There was silence in the middle vehicles. None dared say a word on this until Davis mustered up the sense and courage to do it. _"So...this Hardy's a chick and wants to marry you? What's so wrong about that?"_

By instinct, Rory shivered. Remembering all the times Hardy tried to drag her to the underworld to be her bride. _"You don't know the feeling. She's been hounding me for hundreds of years! She keeps proposing to me again and again and again and again and again...it's horrible! And why do you ask what's wrong about that?!"_

Davis shrugged from the second MRAP. _"Well, same sex relationships aren't exactly unusual now."_

"We're cleared to go forward." McMasters announced as the convoy rolled forward into the tunnel.

Rory saw that they were about to enter the tunnel and hugged Frost harder, sweat pouring down her face. _"NOOOO! Please, I don't wanna!"_

Frost sighed, giving up on trying to get Rory's arms off him. Damn, she was strong. _"All right, enough, Rory. Besides, we're in a different world, there's no way Hardy'll get you here. So go back to your seat."_

 _"No!"_ Rory shook her head furiously. _"I don't wanna! I don't want Hardy to get me and make me marry her! I prefer men!"_ Frost just sighed irritably, seeing as Rory wasn't at all listening.

Kowalski chuckled. _"Well, why don't you sit in the Lieutenant's lap? That way, Hardy won't get you."_

"No, absolutely not. There is no fucking way in hell that she's gonna sit on my lap."

* * *

Kowalski was barely holding onto the roaring laugh in his mouth. Ackerman and Kyle held a hand over their mouths to stifle an amused snicker coming along. Hell, even Williams had a small smirk plastered on his face. The delegates were faring no better as they tried not to laugh.

The reason? Rory was sitting on Frost's lap while she latched onto him like her life depended on it, her face buried into his chest, her body shaking in fright. If it weren't for his balaclava, everyone would've seen the very agitated expression he had on his face. Not to mention the embarrassed blush.

"See, sir? It's not so bad. Looks to me you're enjoying it." Kowalski busted a gut laughing and Frost looked at him.

"Kyle, you still have that grenade?"

"...I'll shut up now."

* * *

"Rory? Rory, we're almost out of the tunnel. You can get off me now." Frost told the demigoddess but there was no response. "Rory?" He looked down and saw she was sleeping. "Oh fuck me." He groaned out.

Frost then heard some snickering and looked at Kowalski in his peripheral vision. "Go ahead, Sergeant. I dare you to say one more word." The Delta operator threatened and Kowalski gulped and clamped his damn mouth shut.

Unknown to either of them, Rory had a small grin plastered on her face.

While it's true that she despised Hardy and wanted nothing to do with her, especially marrying the goddess, Rory was quite comfortable sitting on the lap of an irate Frost.

She finally gained a reaction out of him and it was funny to see the ever stoic Frost flustered, if only slightly.

Opening one eye ever so slightly, Rory looked at Frost and had to hold back a giggle. She couldn't see his face, but could tell that he was feeling a little embarrassed about the peculiar position he was in.

Wanting to get some more out of him, Rory discreetly rolled her hips, rubbing into his groin. This made Frost tense and her cackling on the inside. _'Finally.'_

When Frost felt Rory grind her hips to his uh…beep, he tensed up and looked down at her sharply. _"You're awake, aren't you?"_

Rory gave a small mischievous smile and opened her eyes, looking at the soldier feigning innocence with a cute yawn. _"What? Did you say something?"_ She asked before grinding her hips again.

The Delta operator scowled at her but did nothing else. _"You're awake and we're out of the tunnel. You can get off now."_

The demigoddess adopted a thinking pose with her finger poking her chin but then shrugged and hugged Frost tighter. _"I don't think so. I found your lap quite comfy."_ She giggled out.

Frost didn't like it but having Rory felt good close to his body. Her lithe form and childlike appearance was really - _'Why the hell am I thinking this?!'_

He heard someone snickering beside and behind him and Frost glared at Kowalski. "When we get back to the Fort, I'm gonna run all of you to the fucking ground."

* * *

"The airport's comin' up, sir." Kowalski reported as the convoy rapidly neared Teterboro Airport on the NJ 120 N freeway.

"Yeah, I see it." Frost responded. In just a few more minutes, they would be in the air heading towards the US capital.

"I hope we can get some down time while we're in DC." Jones piped up from the comms. He was really looking forward on getting some R&R in DC, even if it was just a few days.

"I hope so, man, but I wouldn't count on it." Grimes sighed. "If anything, we'll be too busy with all the security and shit."

"Yeah, but a guy can dream. Hell, just one day at a damn bar will do for me." Everyone mumbled in agreement. A little down time couldn't hurt but they had a job to do so...some relaxing probably won't happen.

"Ah, c'mon guys. At least we're back Stateside. That counts for something, right?" Kowalski tried to cheer the boys up.

Ackerman shrugged. "Well...it is good to be back home again."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Tucker said. "Hey, I know this great strip club just up in Connecticut Avenue-" Before Tucker could utter one more word, he heard the sound of growling and weapons cocking. "Kyle and Ackerman?"

"Yep."

"...Okay, forget I said that."

Back in the first MRAP, Myui was looking around curiously at what they were saying. She had a basic understanding of English; being taught for a while, she caught on pretty good in her opinion. But she just didn't get one word.

 _"What's a..._ strip club _?"_

When she asked that question, Wolfpack was looking at each other, trying to figure out what the fuck were they gonna say to her.

 _"Uh...w-we'll tell ya' when you're older."_ Williams said and for the rest of the way, the US soldiers remained quiet.

After a few more minutes, they were finally at the entrance of Teterboro Airport. It was surrounded by various security teams, as well as some reporters hoping to get a glimpse of the delegations.

"All right, this is our last stop." Lt. McMasters said as the convoy pulled up on the main entrance.

"Thanks for the escort." Frost said as he pushed Rory, who was still sitting on his lap, off him with a thud.

Rory was rubbing her bottom while sending Frost a pouty face but deep down, she knew she had gotten through Frost and couldn't wait to get even deeper.

"Don't mention it. Command, this is Dragon 2-1. The convoy has reached the airport and are making their way towards the plane." McMasters gave a sitrep to Command of their progress thus far.

"Roger 2-1. Make sure they get on the plane before returning to base. Over."

"2-1 copies all."

Frost, his squad, and the delegates made their way through the sea of reporters as they were snapping pictures and asking questions about who the delegations were, but all that stopped when they saw the two maids and Tuka.

Out of all of them, Tuka, Mamina and Persia were probably the only ones out of place here. Their appearance were so...strange and well, out of place that the reporters actually stopped in their tracks.

Seeing that this was their chance to boogey out of here ASAP, Frost ushered his guys to go one faster. "C'mon, let's get moving before they take any more pics."

With that said, they hurried their pace into the airport just as the reporters were getting their senses back.

"Damn, now I know how the celebs feel. That was a fucking nightmare."

 _"But why did they...stop all of a sudden?"_ Cato asked as they walked through the lobby.

 _"Well, it's probably because of Mamina, Persia, and Tuka."_ Jackson said that maid the aforementioned girls look at him in curiosity.

 _"Why? Don't you have humanoid here too?"_

Grimes shook his. _"You see, to us, humanoids like elves, cat and bunny people are all just fiction. Your kind don't really exist outside of a fairytale book or a manga here. Seeing you three was probably a big shock."_

 _"...I guess that makes sense, but what's going to happen to us?"_ Persia asked timidly.

 _"Don't worry about it. We got your backs."_ Kowalski said with a grin that made Persia smile at him as well. The others saw this and couldn't help but shake their heads.

The group made their way to the checkout station where an aircraft was waiting for them, an E175-E2 passenger jet used by the military to transport a number of delegations and VIPs domestically and internationally.

Once again, the natives of the New Frontier were awestruck at the massive aircraft before them.

 _"What are we going to do with that?"_ Rory asked curiously, pointing at the aircraft.

 _"We're riding it to the capital. I hope you don't have anything against flying."_ Frost replied as they neared the E175.

At the mention of flying, the delegates gained wide grins...well...a small one for Lelei's case. They had seen the flying metal crafts these soldiers rode to fly and they were very eager to experience it as well.

 _"Oooh, I can't wait!"_ Myui squealed excitedly but soon gained an embarrassed blush when her maids looked at her strangely. _"I...I'm sorry."_

 _"For what? You're a just a kid about to fly in an airplane, of course it's all right to act giddy over it."_ Jackson waved it off and Myui smiled. _"And besides, I bet Mamina and Persia are just as excited as you are."_

At that, the two maids blushed.

While they were walking, Davis and Kowalski discreetly slowed their pace and was by Grimes' side.

"Psst, Grimes. About that strip club you mentioned..."

* * *

Frost stopped at the passage where they would board as three soldiers were in their way. "Lt. Frost, good to see you, sir." One of them saluted which Frost returned. "Everything's all set and you'll reach DC in about three to five hours."

The Delta operator nodded. "Understood. Appreciate the help, guys."

"It's all good sir. Have a nice flight." The soldiers stepped aside as the group began to board the plane.

For the US squad, this was pretty much a regular occurrence. Being shipped out on aircrafts for their tour of duties and all that. But for the VIPs, this was a whole new experience.

All of them were feeling excitement at the prospect of reach the skies. They would be the first of their world to experience firsthand the flying machines of the United States.

One by one, they entered the cabin of the aircraft and immediately, they were welcomed by a fresh cool breeze and a fragrant smell.

 _"My word, the air is cooler than the outside!"_ Cato exclaimed and others couldn't help but agree.

The flight attendants directed them to their seats - Cato was trying very hard not to stare at the exceptionally beautiful flight stewardesses or risk another ice barrage from Lelei.

Tuka was the first to take a seat and was instantly surprised at how comfortable and soft those chairs were. _"Wow, these chairs are so comfy!"_ She started bouncing on them and giggled. _"And bouncy!"_

Myui and Rory also joined in on the elf's fun and started bouncing on their own chairs. _"This is some fine craftsmanship."_ Myui said happily.

 _"Yes."_ Lelei mumbled blankly before laying deeper into the comfortable cushions with a content sigh. _"And soft."_

Mamina and Persia were also enjoying themselves, their animal instincts kicking in with Persia trying to curl up along the seat and Mamina trying to lay back.

 _"Mmmm, so soft and comfy."_ Persia and Mamina purred out.

While this was going on, the US soldiers and even a several flight attendants couldn't help but chuckle at what they were seeing. But all good things must be put on hold for now.

Frost came forward. _"All right, settle down and buckle up. We're about to take off in a few minutes."_ He said as he and the others helped their charges with their buckles.

Kowalski and Davis were helping Persia and Mamina with their buckles respectively.

 _"There, you're all set."_ Kowalski smiled down at Persia which she returned in kind.

 _"Thank you."_ The cat woman said gratefully, causing Kowalski's smile to widen.

 _"No prob, gotta go."_ Kowalski left for his own seat while Persia stared at his retreating form with a curious glint in her eyes.

 _'Strange fellow.'_ She titled her head in slight bewilderment and...amusement. Most of the time, most men looked at her in disgust or lust. But with Kowalski...she didn't see that. What she saw was interest.

That was new for her.

 _"Hmm, I think he likes you, Persia."_ Persia was startled out of her daze and turned to Mamina who was smirking beside her.

 _"Nya?"_

 _"Don't Nya me. I know you've seen the way he looks at you and don't pretend you haven't noticed yet. He's interested in you, and you probably are too."_

At what Mamina was saying, Persia looked away with a small blush. Yes, she noticed Kowalski looking at her with interest since their stay at Italica, but there was never lust behind it like most men she encountered, but fascination.

They talked a little before and Persia could honestly say that he had a humorous way with words. In some instances, she found herself laughing at his jokes.

 _"Well, what about you? That one who helped you with your seat seems interested as well."_ Persia countered.

Mamina jolted slightly before shrugging. _"W-Well, he is a strong man, that Davis. Of course he'd be interested with me."_ She defended with a blush of her own.

Persia giggled. _"So we both have admirers, then."_

 _"I guess we do. Who knows, maybe those two will prove their worth to us. I want a strong children after all."_

A few rows ahead, a certain two dickheads had overheard the maid's conversation and couldn't help but high five.

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your Captain speaking. First of all, I'd like to welcome our VIPs to the USA. Secondly, I would like you to listen to our flight attendants for some safety precautions and procedures if anything happens." The pilot of the aircraft said as the attendants were giving instructions on how to use a life vest and other things for safety, with Frost, Lelei, and his guys acting as partial translators seeing as most of them had a basic understanding of English.

"Okay, ladies and gentlemen, we're about to take off. Once again, I'd like to remind you that while we are taking off, refrain from leaving your seats while the warning signal is going off. Once we're at a stable altitude, you'll be able to move around the cabin as you see fit."

The interlink cut off and the aircraft began to taxi itself on the tarmac.

"Tower, this is USA Flight 141. Requesting permission for take off." The pilot requested as he and his co pilot made the necessary preparations for take off.

"USA Flight 141, permission granted. Proceed to runway 12-E-31 for take off. Over."

"Roger, Tower. Heading to runway12-W-31." The plane began to taxi its way to its intended runway and positioned itself for take off.

"Flaps engaged." He filled the switch so that their flaps would be better suited for take off.

"Check."

"Primary and secondary systems?"

The flight engineer looked over to his consoles and saw that everything was in perfect working order. "Check on all systems."

The pilot nodded, their aircraft was prepped and fit to fly. "All right, let's do it. Engines to full." They pumped up the engines to full and the aircraft began to gain momentum.

About halfway through the runway, the pilots have achieved optimal velocity and pulled up into the air and began to climb.

Back in the cabin, the VIPs felt like they were being squished by an unknown force. Like something was pressing down on them but they didn't know what!

Then, thankfully, the pressure stopped and everything leveled out as the plane began to stabilize in the air. Then, the warning signs came offline, signaling that they were free to move about the cabin and they all unbuckled themselves.

 _"W-hat just happened?"_ Myui placed a hand on her chest, breathing heavily. _"It felt like something heavy was pressing on my chest."_

 _"That's just the G forces, kid."_ Myui looked at Williams curiously.

 _"G forces?"_ Cato and Lelei asked, curious at what was that strange force that made them feel so heavy.

 _"Well, it's kinda hard to explain, but long story short, when an object accelerates, it becomes heavier due to inertia and gravity. You'll find out more when you get your hands on a Physics book."_

At the mention of books, Lelei leaned forward. "Books?" She asked, wondering what kind of knowledge that has been recorded over this world's history.

Williams nodded. _"That's right. If we have the time, maybe we can go to a library or the Smithsonian Museum. That's where a lot of things from out history are displayed."_

Now Cato and Lelei knew where they want to go if they ever did have the chance to explore. The Smithsonian was definitely on their list of places to go.

Rory giggled at the two scholars before looking at Frost. _"Now, I remembered that you said that you'd answer our question?"_ She leaned in a little closer while a seductive smile.

 _"Yes, so what do you want to know. We got about three to five hours until we arrive."_ Frost replied, trying to avoid Rory's gaze.

After much debate, the VIPs had decided on their questions. _"What was that you said about that you were fighting in a war before the Empire attacked? You called it the Third World War?"_ Mamina asked.

At the mention of the war, the US soldiers grew deadly serious. _"Yeah, it was. Before the Empire set foot on American soil, the US was engaged in a very intense war with Russia in the Russo-American War, the precursor to World War 3."_ Williams began.

 _"Russia? Is that another country like yours?"_ Myui asked.

Grimes nodded. _"Yeah, you see there are three superpowers in the world, the three most powerful nations. China, Russia, and the United States. China has a the largest military and currently has the biggest economy, Russia's got the largest territory of any country, covering almost an entire continent and they have one of the largest militaries in the world and a big economy, then there's us. The US has the most advanced and most powerful military force in the world and one of the biggest economies."_

The VIPs couldn't believe what they were hearing. In this world, there were three nations considered to be the most powerful and the one that had the most power military was the US.

 _"But if that's so, why were you at war with Russia?"_

Davis sighed. _"It was because of an incident in Zakhaev International Airport. A notorious terrorist named Vladimir Makarov led a massacre there, killing hundred of Russian civilians."_

Rory already knew where this was going but she had to make sure. _"This Makarov. Did he used one of you?"_

 _"Yeah."_ The others' eyes widened in surprise. _"The fucking bastard used us as a scapegoat, leaving an American's body dressed like his men so the Russians would blame us for helping him. And it worked."_

This time, Kowalski said his piece. _"When news came to the US, it was already too late. The Russians had launched a surprise invasion in the East Coast. Whatever defenses we set up, the Russians destroyed. We just weren't ready."_

 _"B-But I thought you had the most powerful military..?"_ Tuka stuttered out. _"Shouldn't you be invincible?"_

 _"Tuka, there's no such thing as invincible. Just look at your Empire."_

 _"...What happened next?"_ Persia asked, almost not wanting to hear anymore.

 _"The fighting was fucking brutal. We were on the defensive and the Russians were kicking our asses left and right. But in the end, we were able to kick them out of the East Coast, but at a very high price. We lost a thousands of soldiers and assets. It'd take a long time before the damage to be fixed."_

At this revelation, the delegates realized that truly nothing was invincible, including the US Army. For so long, the Empire was considered invincible in their eyes, then came the US who decimated them easily. To hear the even the US can be beaten at their own game showed that the US was not all powerful.

Rory looked crestfallen but she realized that the US was still here. So that means they were able to beat the Russians back. _"You said you were able to beat the Russians, right? How?"_

When she asked that question, almost all of the soldiers smiled. _"Well, you see it was because of Team Metal. Total badasses and hardasses. A small Special Forces team was able to board a Russian submarine and used Russian's own weapons against them, destroying much of their force and forcing them to turn tail and run right back to Russia."_

The others were amazed and joyed. This Team Metal were revered as heroes if this was anything to go by and that status was truly earned.

 _"And who were in this Team Metal? Are they in Arnus Hill too?"_ Rory asked, wanting to know who these soldiers were who were able to beat back an army that could challenge even the US.

At this, the squad couldn't help but laugh. _"Why don't you ask him yourself?"_ Then all of them looked at Frost who was taking off his balaclava.

The VIPs jaws dropped in shock. Frost, the same one who commands this band of soldiers, the same one who spared Italica a fate worse than death, and the same one who was with them, was a member of this Team Metal. A war hero.

And in Rory's eyes, that just made Frost even more desirable. She wondered how many more exploits that this man had accomplished that she doesn't know about yet.

Frost noticed the attention he was getting and sighed. _"Yeah, I was a member of Team Metal. The last one, anyway."_

The demigoddess heard a hint of sadness in Frost's voice and became curious. _"What do you mean?"_

 _"...I don't wanna talk about it."_ Frost mumbled before setting himself down to get some shut eye.

 _"...What's wrong with him?"_ Cato asked softly, as to not disturb an obviously exhausted and distressed Frost.

Ackerman shook her head. _"It's not our place to tell you, but Lt. Frost's the last of Team Metal and he regrets it. Something about their last mission."_

The others continue to ask about something else like vacations spots, historical places, and other things. But Rory's attention was on Frost's sleeping form.

She would say it, Frost has definitely caught her interest. He was a hero not just in her world, but also to his country. If half his exploits were done in her world, no doubt Frost would be a very high noble by now with riches and women at his beck and call.

He should be a proud man with all that he had achieved. But Frost remains somewhat distant. Rory could feel regret coming from him and sadness. It amazed her that Frost was able to function with such a burden on his shoulders, but something was telling her that this was more than meets the eye.

Perhaps he too lost someone to the Empire? Rory didn't know, but she knew that her attraction towards him was growing.

Coming towards him, she took the seat beside him and laid her head on his shoulders, hugging his arm. For now, Frost needed comfort. She can torment the hell out of him later.

Frost felt someone hold onto his arm and opened one eye to see Rory was hugging her arm with a serene smile. If she didn't look like a little girl, Rory would've been a very fine woman.

 _'I really am losing my mind.'_ He mumbled to himself before going back to sleep with a demigoddess clinging onto his arm.

 _ **AT 0900 HOURS, RECON TEAM 1, NOW DESIGNATED AS WOLFPACK 1-1, ARRIVED AT THE NEW YORK STAGING AREA KNOWN AS TITAN. ONCE ON TITAN, WOLFPACK LINKED UP WITH ANOTHER UNIT, DRAGON 2-1, WHO ESCORTED THEM TO TETERBORO AIRPORT. ONCE AT THE AIRPORT, WOLFPACK AND THE VIPs BOARDED A MILITARY VIP TRANSPORT CRAFT ON THE WAY TO THE US CAPITAL, WASHINGTON DC. FURTHER UPDATES TO FOLLOW UPON ARRIVAL.**_

 _ **REPORT COMPLETE**_

 _ **AN: Yeah, I've been gone for over two months, fucking sue me. But I was researching about politics to incorporate into this and I was playing other military games to give me some inspirational elements like MGSV. Not to mention, I have to plan out the romance and humor part of this too. Call of Duty or not, this is still a crossover with an anime and manga. What kind of world would we live in if an anime and manga didn't have humor and romance in it?**_

 _ **Oh, it also has come to my attention that the GATE stories have really been picking up lately. Good jobs to the authors, especially to the ones that predate my own and are great..**_


	13. AN (It's not what you think!)

_**To those that think this is a discontinuation or hiatus notice, you can put down your guns and stop searching for my address because it's not.**_

 _ **I'm just asking for a little help is all. Looking back on some chapters, I realize that those needed a lot of work and that's why I haven't been updating because I've been looking back and figuring out what to improve.**_

 _ **And before you say it, yes, HSDxD has been updating regularly but that's expected when you have inspiration.**_

 _ **I plan on revising all of the chapters to add more detail and tackle some major plot holes and questions, and I think O got them mapped out, but I need some help. I meed some of your inputs so if any of you, especially beta readers, are willing to help, I'd be grateful.**_

 _ **PS. Has anybody played COD IW? It's fucking fantastic! I take back everything I said about it!**_


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